24 Little Hours
by 739678
Summary: Season 5 AU. Dalton Academy is all set to host Blaine's proposal to Kurt. It turns out to be a day nobody will forget for all the wrong reasons.
1. 2 pm

_So, first things first. This is not part on the Unicorns and Angels 'verse. It is instead another AU, based on the fact that at the proposal, one key Warbler was missing. The question is - why? And this came to my head..._

 **2pm**

"Where is he Duval? He knew the time, he knew exactly how important this was, so where the heck is he?"

"I'm his boyfriend, Sebastian, not his keeper! Do you think that if I knew where he was I wouldn't tell you? So, I will tell you again; he told me that he had to go and pick something up at the mall, and he would be straight back. I tried to go with him, but he said that he had to go on his own. He must have got held up somehow. I have tried calling him three times already for you now, and it just goes to voicemail, so I assume that he is driving back. You know as well as I do what a cautious driver he is. He will get here, I am certain of it. He was so angry that he was off sick when Blaine came and asked us to do this, and you know that he has come back early just to be here today."

"The fact remains, Nicholas, that he isn't here! We have a whole routine choreographed with the New Directions, which will fall apart completely if he fails to show up and soon…."

"Actually, Sebastian," said Trent, walking up, "it won't. Turns out that they have a missing member too and a far more significant one. Finn hasn't shown up. Blaine is doing the kind of deep breathing exercises that you see on stress prevention videos, although Sam is helping him a great deal. Rachel is screeching down her phone to his voicemail every two minutes, and Mercedes is trying to stop Santana from going over and throttling her. Artie is being the voice of reason as usual, and that blonde Cheerio - Kitty, I think her name is - is just finding it all so amusing. Oh, and Tina keeps flirting with me, despite the fact that I have told her that I am gay about a million times already."

Sebastian shook his head, pulled out his phone and dialled. He sighed, then spoke. "Sterling! You had better get here pretty soon or you and I are going to have to have a long chat about your timekeeping and your priorities! Call me, or Nick, or better still, just get here and talk to me face to face!" With that Sebastian stalked off in the direction of the door leaving Trent alone with a concerned Nick.

"Where is he Trent? He said that he would be back half an hour ago. He told me that he was getting a surprise for me; that he hoped that I would love it. You know how much he was looking forward to seeing Blaine ask Kurt the big question…"

"He was bouncing about like Tigger on acid, yes…"

"So were you Mr Nixon, and before you say anything, I admit that I was too. What do you think will happen if Kurt says no?"

"We would have to stop Blaine doing something stupid - but I know Kurt. I doubt that this will be too much of a shock to him. In fact, I am almost positive that he will already know what is going on - I mean, Finn is involved and we all know that he cannot be trusted to keep a secret. That is probably why he hasn't arrived - he'll be afraid that Blaine will kill him! Ok, Nick, put your phone away. He will be here. If he misses it, he misses it. With Finn AWOL too, maybe it is better that he isn't here. It gives us even numbers for that dance."

"True, but it just isn't like him to be late!" Trent sighed and nodded. He wouldn't dare to admit it to nick, but Jeff's absence was spooking him out too. He didn't like it one bit. After all, he had been dropping hints that he was intending to do something special too. He had an idea what it was, but for now, all he could do was wait and hope that he would arrive in time.

He did not have time to wonder long. Sam suddenly shouted that Kurt was almost there; Sebastian was suddenly barking orders at the Warblers in a tone that would not have been out of place coming from Hunter. Even the thought of that name still sent a shudder through Trent. Nick was on his phone again, frantically telling Jeff that they were about to start; that Sebastian would probably kill him; but that he loved him and just wanted to see him. Trent suddenly felt Sebastian's glare upon them and he dragged Nick into his place. "He'll be so upset," he said to his friend. "Just remember that Nick. No shouting, just comforting arms. I will try and restrain Sebastian. Now, sort out your hair, and smile. This is a happy day after all!"

Nick nodded, and quickly sorted his hair back into place, and fixed a smile on his face. He wasn't going to ruin Kurt and Blaine's moment, not for anything. He glanced over to Blaine in his mustard yellow suit (only he could pull that off!) as Rachel adjusted his bowtie and tried to calm his nerves, as he stressed as to why Kurt was standing outside talking to his dad for so long. And then he heard the first notes of the Marseillaise begin. He looked at Trent, who nodded. And Nick put his whole focus on what he had to do…

* * *

As he had waited on tenterhooks under a shower of rose petals for Kurt to give his one word answer to his old friend's question, Nick spotted something that puzzled him. A figure had appeared in the doorway as Blaine had uttered the final words of his proposal. He recognised the guy as one of the older New Directions - Puck he seemed to recall his name was - but it was his facial expression that worried Nick. He looked as if the weight of the world had just fallen onto his shoulders. Whilst everyone else was smiling in anticipation, he wasn't. As Kurt said yes and the room erupted into cheers, he looked as if he was about to burst into tears. If Nick hadn't been sure that he was straight, then he would think that he wanted to marry Kurt, and now his dreams had been shattered. As it was, as everyone began to crowd around Kurt and Blaine, he stepped forward and grabbed Burt by the shoulder as the latter stood beside Will Schuester. He saw the two of them follow Puck back out of the room…. Then Trent was pulling him into the melee, to see up close the small circle of metal that signified his two friends commitment to one and other. God knows that he wanted to ask Jeff the same question, but that could wait a little longer - at least until they had left school. But hey, it just seemed so right for Kurt and Blaine, and he was more than a little jealous…

He didn't get long to look at the ring as it happened. Burt and Will came back into the room, their smiles now fading, their faces ashen. Will stepped over to Rachel and Nick heard him ask her quietly to come with him for a moment. Burt was spiriting Kurt away too, with Blaine in tow. They were no sooner gone than Puck stepped back into the room, and made his way over to where Mercedes and Santana stood with the younger New Directions.

"So, Puck, any idea where Hudson is? This was his little brother's big moment, so he had better have a good…" Santana tailed off as Puck suddenly burst into tears. His sobs drew the attention of the whole room, which fell silent as Mercedes stepped up and put an arm around his shoulders.

"What's going on, Puck?" said Sam. "Burt and Mr Schue just took Kurt, Blaine and Rachel away, and now…" Puck wiped at his eyes and just stared blankly at him.

"What's happened to Finn, Noah?" said Artie quietly.

"He was on his way, so up for this, so excited…. There was an accident on the freeway. A pile up. He got caught in the middle of it. He didn't make it. Finn's dead. My best friend is dead…."

At that statement there was absolute silence. In the space where only a few moments earlier there had been loud cheerful noise you could now hear a pin drop. All eyes had turned to Puck - well at least those of the New Directions and the older of the Warblers. Tina was clutching Artie's hand, who was just shaking his head. There was an air of disbelief. They wanted to accept what Puck had just said but at the same time, they were all hoping and praying that it wasn't true. It couldn't be. Someone like Finn could not just be snuffed out, just like that. It wasn't possible. It was not right. But there was the fact that three people, the two that were closest to him and Blaine, had been spirited away, and that did not bode well. Nick felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. It had to be true - it wasn't something that you made jokes about. Plus it would explain why Jeff wasn't here - if the freeway had been closed, then he would be caught in the traffic chaos that would have occurred as a consequence. He would be stuck in a queue of slow moving traffic somewhere. He almost felt guilty that he had an explanation for his boyfriend's absence when it meant that someone else had been killed…

"Please tell us that it isn't true, Puck," said Tina quietly.

Then her answer came in the sound of an aching sob from one direction, closely followed by a scream from the other. A scream that was unmistakeably Rachel. That was all it took to send Marley crashing towards the floor, stopped only from doing so by the timely arms of both Jake and Ryder. To everyone's surprise, Santana also stumbled, and was caught by a startled Seth, one of the younger Warblers. Tina fell on top of Artie in a dead faint. Sam just stood there, staring forward, tears rolling down his cheeks; he stood alone until a tearful Mercedes beckoned him over, and then he fell gratefully into her arms and those of Puck, all three of them devastated by their loss.

"Poor Kurt," Trent whispered in Nick's ear. "This was the happiest day, probably of his life so far, and now, in a moment, it has to be one of the worst. I know how it feels to lose someone that you love so suddenly. My heart goes out to him, and Blaine. To all of them… he was one of the good guys."

Nick nodded and looked at Sebastian, who seemed to be frozen in shock. "We should take them all to the Commons, Sebastian. Let them grieve in private, rather than here in the main hall…"

"You're right, Nick. Show them the way guys. Get them coffee, drinks… they have lost a friend. Kurt has lost a brother. He was a Warbler, and you all know what that means."

So it was that the Warblers guided the New Directions towards the Senior Commons; helped to carry Artie over the stairs; to support Tina as she stumbled in a zombiefied stupor. Once there, it was Artie that pulled out his phone first and announced that he was going to call Mike, so he didn't find out about it on the news. That lead to Santana making a call to Brittany; Puck attempting to call Quinn, and in the end having to pass his phone to Mercedes when words just failed him. Around them, the Warblers made a fuss, bringing drinks and snacks, offering tissues, just listening. All the old animosity was put aside; Kurt had lost his brother, and the Warblers were honour bound to support him and ergo, his friends.

Trent had in the course of doing this had come across Blaine slumped to the floor outside a classroom, as Kurt sobbed in Burt's arms inside. He had at once sat down next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Blaine had promptly thrown himself against his chest and proceeded to sob his heart out. Trent could do nothing more than hold him as he did so, knowing that soon he would be back to comforting Kurt, and putting his own pain and loss back to the dim recesses of his mind.

As Trent had predicted, Blaine cried only briefly, then as he realised that the intensity of Kurt's sobbing had diminished in the room, he pulled himself back out of his friend's warm embrace, and began to search frantically for something with which to dry his eyes, his own pocket square already crumpled and damp. Trent pulled out a small pack of paper tissues and handed it to Blaine, who took it with a nod of gratitude, and pulled one out. He swiped at his eyes, and then blew his nose. "I don't know exactly how to deal with this Trent. I know I need to be strong for Kurt, but it hurts so much. He was so young, so full of promise for the future. He was going to be such a great teacher, because he just got kids! He knew what it was like to struggle; to have to juggle popularity with doing what you enjoy. And now… Then there's Rachel; I heard her reaction…" He paused, as he shuddered involuntarily. "I don't even know how I am going to face Carole, Trent. This is all just such a mess…"

"I don't know any of it either, Blaine. I guess that you just have to be there, to react to what they are doing at the time. That is the one thing that you are so good at - empathy. Now, go on, get back to your fiancé. We are taking care of the others for you. If you need us, for anything, we are all in the Senior Commons." Blaine nodded, and got back up, before walking into the classroom where Kurt was now sitting staring off into space, as Burt talked to someone - probably Carole - on the phone. Trent felt so devastated for his friends, but knew that he could do nothing just now to ease their pain, other than be around to listen when required.


	2. 2 33 pm

_Ok, some of you are really going to hate me..._

 **2.33pm**

In his office, not that far away from the main staircase, Aaron Carmichael sat quietly, a pile of papers in front of him, documents that he needed to read for a governors meeting that he was due to attend the following day. He wasn't seeing the words in front of him, his mind instead dominated by the way that tragedy could intrude so suddenly and so brutally into our lives. He knew that from experience, and now it had unfolded again at his school. He had a soft spot for Kurt Hummel; not just because of the way that he had dealt with the traumas of his life; not just for his voice; or indeed for the way that he had transformed the life of Blaine Anderson, and the way the two of them were together. He liked him because he was strong, and loved all of his family and friends equally. His time at Dalton might have been shorter than he would have liked, but he had made such an impact, making so many friends, and not just within the Warblers. He knew that Kurt kept in touch with Wes, David and Thad, the council of his day; with Beats and Flint; with the rambunctious Niff and the strong, deeply moral Trent. He even had time for Sebastian these days, which given all that had taken place between the two of them, was nothing short of a miracle. He wondered if he should take it upon himself and let Wes know what had happened; but then he realised that he would no doubt be told soon, if he hadn't been already, by one of the boys. He wouldn't be surprised either if the former Head Warbler appeared in Ohio sooner, rather than later.

He also felt for Burt Hummel and his wife, Carole. When he had first met them, he had reservations. The tyre shop owner in a baseball cap and his nurse wife were not the usual sort of parents that you saw at Dalton after all. But Kurt had needed the sanctuary that the school could provide. In time, Burt had grown upon him as he proved what a decent father and man he was; and nobody could fail to like the loving mother that Carole was. When he had heard the following year that Burt was standing for Congress, he had ignored his scoffing colleagues and called to offer his backing and any help he could give. His campaign was the most just after all. He had even managed to convince several parents to back him.

Now Congressman Hummel was back in his school, and what should have been such a happy moment had been turned upside down, as Burt had to deal with the death of his stepson at such an early age. He had first hand knowledge of the pain that the death of a man that was barely an adult could cause - his eyes alighted on the photo of his own son Jamie on his desk. He would make time to see Burt as soon as he could to offer friendship and support. But not yet - he had to allow the man time to grieve with his wife and Kurt first. 'Such a happy day, turned so sad in a few words,' he thought. 'But life has to go on.' The phone began to ring in the outer office as if to prove his point. It had to do so, or they would all go mad very quickly.

As he pondered this, the phone on his desk began to ring. Without thinking, he picked it up and listened. He wondered briefly why the gentleman in question was calling him, failing to notice that his loyal secretary, Agnes Hamilton, had a tearful note to her voice as she spoke to him in the process of transferring the call. It was only as he greeted Mr Sterling that Aaron Carmichael suddenly realised that as he had observed the proposal discretely from a doorway, he had not seen the tall boy with the mop of blond hair. It was not like Jeff to miss something like this - in fact, he would go so far as to say it was completely out of character. As he listened to the voice on the other end of the line, he first felt his heart sink and then shatter altogether. After he had rung off, he sat for a while, staring out at his office. It was so silent, apart from the faint sound of sobbing coming from the next room. It was unthinkable. What he had just been told was horrific. The probability of something like this happening had to be minute, and yet, it had. He knew what he had to do, and he knew that he could not delegate the task to anyone else. He wished so much that he could, particularly as he knew that it would be accompanied by a meltdown. He could not put it off, that would be unfair. He rose, and after a brief word to his secretary, still crying so hard, he headed off to find three people.

It was only by luck that he found Sebastian, Trent and Nick together. Trent had returned to find Nick on his own with the New Directions; Sebastian had decided to check up on the Haverbrook kids and Vocal Adrenaline. He had in all the chaos forgotten about them. They were still on the premises, and he went to speak to them. He had promised to pass on their regrets and shock to New Directions, before he had, with the help of some of the younger Warblers, seen them on their way. Trent had returned to see Blaine with coffee, and had actually spoken to Kurt; he had barely seemed to be aware that he was present, so deep in shock he remained. Then he had watched silently from the window as Will Schuester had escorted Rachel home to her dads, the young woman barely able to stand on her own.

Sebastian had barely stepped back into the room when the Principal had knocked gently on the door and beckoned him over. He made his way over, not failing to notice the pain etched on the man's face as he did so. "Sebastian, I need to see you, Trent and Nick in my office right away. I am sure that the younger boys are more than capable of looking after our guests for a short while. How are Mr Hummel and Kurt, by the way? Have you seen them?"

"Trent has, sir. He says that Kurt is still in a state of shock, and that Blaine seems to be in a pretty bad way too. Can I ask what this is about sir? Does it require all three of us to be in attendance?"

"It does, I'm afraid… It will not take long, but when we get to my office, I will need to see Trent and yourself alone first. For a short period, we shall have to ask Mr Duval to sit outside…"

Five minutes later, Nick found himself sitting in the secretary's office, entirely on his own. The redoubtable Mrs Hamilton was nowhere to be seen. He had sat in this room once already this year, whilst he waited to see the principal after the whole steroid scandal had erupted. This felt different. Then he had known exactly why he had been summoned. Now he had no idea, and from what he could gather, neither of the other two knew either. As he waited, he pulled out his phone, and sent another anxious "Where are you Jeffie?" text. He supposed that after the big accident, traffic would be snarled up, but that was no explanation as to why Jeff was not answering his messages.

On the other side of the sound proofed door, his two friends sat in silence as the Principal fussed about. He had offered them coffee, or a glass of water; he had even brought out a box of mints. He had however not met their eyes once in all that time. "Sir," said Sebastian, "Whilst we both appreciate your hospitality, I am assuming that you did not invite us in here for this? We do have a bit of a crisis on our hands at the moment…"

"Yes, yes we do… You are quite right, Mr Smythe. I have been guilty of prevaricating to try and put off what I must inevitably do. The accident on the freeway was quite substantial. Over 30 vehicles were caught up in it, so I believe. Mr Hudson was not the only fatality. Which is why, I'm afraid, I have had to ask you in here - and why I have asked Mr Duval to remain outside at first…"

At those words, Sebastian felt more confused than he had been before. It was a different story for Trent. He had always been observant. Although Wes would never admit it, he had been the one to point out the chemistry between Blaine and 'the spy' on that day when two worlds had collided on a staircase at Dalton. He had been the one to spot that Hunter was up to no good, even before he had produced the steroids. Now, in the Principal's study, all the little clues began to come together in his mind.

Firstly, the fact that he and Sebastian, the two Warblers closest to Nick, had been brought into the room first, whilst he was asked to remain outside; all this whilst the New Directions, guests at the school, had been left in the charge of a group of very junior boys in the Senior Commons. The number one rule at Dalton was that guests were never left without the supervision of a Senior. And the Principal had just asked them to do exactly that.

Secondly, as they had approached the office, the school secretary had bolted from the room without so much as a glance in their direction; in fact, she had looked anywhere but in their direction. Agnes Hamilton was a friend to all of the boys, and she always had so much time for the Warblers; today, she couldn't even look at them.

Thirdly, the Principal himself had been hedging around the reason why they had been summoned, and he was always so organised and direct. Today - well, he would be a perfect candidate for Principal at McKinley, the way he was acting. He had admitted that much too, whilst moving on to talk about the accident…

Then, the penny dropped.

Trent felt his blood run cold, the bile rise up in his throat. He knew why they were here; why Nick was sitting outside; why Mrs Hamilton had run away (and yes, she had been using her handkerchief as she did so, now he thought about it.) He knew why Principal Carmichael could not meet their eyes. He knew that there was one Warbler missing. A Warbler that he been at the mall, and would potentially have been on the freeway. A Warbler that was not answering his phone….

"Oh God, please, please, no…" Trent gasped out, as tears began to form in the corners of his eyes. He looked straight at the Principal, who now looked straight back at him. Trent instantly saw the heartache and pain in his expression, and he knew that his worst fears had just been realised; that a nightmare had begun. It all made so much sense to him now…

"Ok, will someone just tell me what is going on!" said Sebastian in exasperation, caught between the grief stricken face of his principal and that fact that Trent had begun to cry. "Maybe I am missing something important here, but I still fail to see what is going on."

"Oh, for God's sake, Sebastian, use your head for once! Who would have been on the freeway at the right time? Who isn't here? Who isn't answering their phone, not even for Nick!" snapped Trent, his tone harsh, but his voice low. He saw at once that his words had scored a direct hit.

Sebastian's eyes suddenly widened, his face started to crumple, and his hands began to shake. "Please," he said to Principal Carmichael, in a begging tone, "Trent's got it wrong! He has to have done. He can't be… he just can't…"

"I received a call from his father about fifteen minutes ago. He had just been visited by the Sheriff. He was told that his car was in the centre of the pile up, probably just a few feet away from that of Mr Hudson. It was a complete right off. After the crash, there was an explosion and fire, which engulfed several of the vehicles, including his. As for…he had doubtless suffered severe and fatal injuries in the collision, such was the force of the impact. He would not have suffered. That is at least something that we can all be thankful about. That sounds wrong, I know, but at least he was spared pain. I was asked to tell you all what had happened, and I can tell you now that this is the hardest thing I have had to do in over forty years of teaching. I have told you two first because what is about to happen is going to be so much worse than this. Between us we have to tell Nick that Jeff is dead…"

It was the use of his name that sent Trent over the edge. He started to sob, still conscious of his need to do so as quietly as possible - the door was pretty soundproof, but he could not risk Nick hearing his tears. He knew that if he did, his friend would burst in and demand to know what was going on and none of the three of them were ready to tell him yet. Principal Carmichael, that strong beacon of dependability to all his boys was staring out of the window again, not even able to glance at them once more. Tears had begun to pour down Sebastian's face, his expression just so lost. All Trent could do was sob for his best friend, his oldest friend here at Dalton. That the life of such a cheerful, smiling, exuberant and above all good young man could be snuffed out in a moment made him so angry. And then, there was Nick. After all, it wasn't just Jeff that had died, it was Niff. What was it they had all said, every Warbler from Wes onward - No Nick without Jeff, No Jeff without Nick. That implied that now there would be no Nick - and Trent could well believe that. He realised now that Sebastian had placed an arm around his shoulders. He looked up at him, at the look of absolute horror on his face; the helplessness that they both felt so apparent, and Trent could bear it no longer. He buried his head in Sebastian's chest and let his sobs come. He felt himself being pulled in closer, and then he felt Sebastian's head on his shoulder; could feel the other boy's wet salty tears falling on his neck. And very quietly, he could hear him saying "Fuck, fuck, fuck" under his breath.


	3. 3 01 pm

**3.01pm**

Nick glanced at his watch as he sat in the empty outer office. Last time he had been here for only moments, a nervous Jeff at his side, twitching and full of fear about what was about to happen. They had been taking drugs after all; had brought both Dalton and the Warblers into disrepute. Ok, so they had both been blackmailed into it; they had discovered too late that the 'vitamin pills' that Hunter had been feeding them for well over a week were actually steroids. Of all of them, Trent had been the only one to stand up and refuse to take them, and when he subsequently walked out, it had felt like a betrayal. Some had said that he had gone on to betray them when he had come clean later, and had stood up and told Blaine what was actually going on. Nick and Jeff both knew that he had saved them in the long run. But at that moment, after watching the video that Wes had sent them in which he expressed his extreme disappointment with them; having been shunned by the rest of Dalton; after their very public expulsion from the choir competition and getting the Warblers banned for at least a year, today could be the day when they actually lost Dalton and each other. Nick's father had been so angry with him, and made daily mentions of the benefits of military school. If they were expelled now, then that was where he would end up, and that would be the end of everything…

They had been so lucky that day. No expulsion, not even a mention on their permanent records, thanks to a full confession from Hunter in the throes of his withdrawal, and the testimony of Trent. Plus there had been an intervention from Burt Hummel, at Finn's request… Nick still could not comprehend that Finn was dead. It was just too cruel that someone not much older than him, someone with a bright future in front of him, could just be dead like that. Jeff would agree with him, he was certain, if he ever got in touch. It was so unlike him to ignore his phone for so long, unless he had lost it again. 'That must be it,' thought Nick. 'In his hurry to get to the mall and back, he has allowed his phone to fall out of his pocket, and it is probably ringing out in the office of some inefficient mall cop. Or his battery is flat, and again, that wouldn't be for the first time!' The fact that Jeff could be so forgetful and clumsy was one of the many things that endeared him to Nick. He could picture him now, stuck in his car in the inevitable gridlock on the freeway, getting more and more upset that he had missed the proposal, and worse, couldn't let them know where he was. Nick wondered if he should call the sheriff himself, and see if someone could pass a message, or even lend him a phone. After all, there was a telephone on the desk in front of him, and it was kind of an emergency…

Nick was just about to get up and reach for the phone when he heard the telltale sound of rapid footsteps on the tiled floor of the corridor, so he quickly settled back in his seat. The steps stopped and he looked up to see Mlle Lefevre standing in the doorway. She seemed, in his eyes, to be startled to see him sitting there in the otherwise unattended office, at least at first. Remembering his manners, and the rules, Nick made to stand up, but she shook her head at him. "No, Nick, don't bother to get up. To be honest, I didn't expect to find you still sitting out here. I only came to collect Mrs Hamilton's bag and coat - she isn't feeling very well and she needs to go home." She hurried past him now, and took the bag and coat from the stand. She made to go, but at the last second she stopped, and turned to look at him. Nick suddenly saw that her mascara was smudged, as if she had been crying. "Nick, I just want you to know that if you ever need someone to talk to, somewhere to go, you can come to me. What has happened…"

"You mean with Kurt's brother, Finn? It is sad and I feel so bad for Kurt. This should have been his happy day, and now he will recall it for all the wrong reasons. I think I should be ok - Finn wasn't a close friend. When I tell Jeff though - he will be so upset for Kurt… Is it ok if I tell him that he can come and see you?"

Nick had not seen Mlle Lefevre's face fall at the mention of Jeff; now she only nodded, and said "I'd better get back to Mrs Hamilton. Take care Nick.." Then she was gone, and if Nick had listened more carefully, he would have heard her sobs as she hastened along the corridor.

Meanwhile in the office, Sebastian realised that they could no longer put off the inevitable. Trent's tears had started to subside by the sound of it, and he was forcing back his own. If somehow someone else found out and told Nick first, it would be a disaster. Not only would he have lost his boyfriend, his soulmate, but he would completely lose his trust in his two best friends. "We have to get on with it. We need to do this, and do it now. The longer we leave it, the worse it will be. Plus, we all know Nick. He will still be trying his phone. If it survived the crash intact and someone else answers it…" He shuddered at the thought of it.

"You are right, Sebastian," said Aaron Carmichael sadly. "I daresay that I will need to check on Mrs Hamilton too; she took the call, and she found out first. Firstly though, we need to tidy ourselves up; wash our faces and remove the tear tracks…"

Trent sniffed loudly and began to hunt for a tissue, before he remembered… "I gave my tissues to Blaine - I thought that he would need them more…" Principal Carmichael held out a box of tissues to him, then showed the two boys into the small cloakroom off his office. They stood there, side by side at the sink, washing their faces, straightening their ties and hair.

"We are going to have to tell the others as soon as we can after Nick. They will all still be in the Commons, so we can just announce it…"

"I know Sebastian. But how do we break this news to Blaine? To Kurt? I mean, he and Jeff were such good friends, and to lose him as well as his brother on the same day… And then we will have to call Wes and the others too…" Trent paused, his shoulders slumped, and placed his hands on the edge of the basin. "I don't think that I am up to this Sebastian. I think that the moment that Nick walks through the door, I am going to burst into tears that will never stop."

"I'll do it. I was pretty sure that it would fall to me in any case, if it has to be us that tell him. It's just a pity that Wes wasn't here on a visit; he would be able to handle this so much better than us."

"I don't know. I think that when he finds out, he is going to be as distraught as the rest of us…"

"It makes no odds. We have to do this, and now. I'll do the talking, ok. Just be ready to hold him when he falls apart. That is when you will be exactly what Nick needs."

It had been just over fifteen minutes that Nick had been left sitting to his own devices in the school secretary's office by the time the door opened and Principal Carmichael asked him to step in. Nick had just been about to grab the phone again when he did so, and he was relieved that he had not just been caught red-handed. He step into the office, and almost at once he felt a queer sense of unease. Something was wrong, and he could feel goosebumps start to appear on his arms. Sebastian and Trent were sat on the sofa that rested against the wall as he came in, at opposite ends. Sebastian glanced up at him as he stepped in, but broke off eye contact almost immediately that it was made. He seemed subdued to Nick, an air of defeat and resignation written clearly across his face. Trent did not even look up - he sat with his eyes downcast, his hands folded neatly in his lap.

"Take a seat, Mr Duval, between your friends," said Aaron Carmichael, his voice soft and without the harsh edge that Nick had been anticipating hearing. With the look on Sebastian's face, all that Nick could think was that more scandal had come to light, and that their reprieve had been a temporary one. Nick shivered as he considered the prospect of heading to military school after all. He took a seat in silence, conscious that Trent continued to avert his gaze from him even as he did so. There was absolute silence for a moment, and Nick continued to look at the Principal with a mixture of dread and expectation on his face. He noticed now that he was not willing to make eye contact with him either. Nor could he find the words to speak it would appear…

"Nick," said Sebastian suddenly, breaking the silence. "Nick, there is something that we need to tell you. I could try and sugar coat it, but, well I really can't. There is no positive spin to put on it… What you need to know is that we are all here for you. All of us, anytime." Sebastian stopped and Nick nodded, confused.

"Mlle Lefevre said that to me too when she came in for Mrs Hamilton's bag and coat. She isn't feeling well, sir. That is why she left as we arrived, I guess."

Principal Carmichael nodded, and then closed his eyes, before speaking. "Nick, the accident on the freeway was huge. A lot of cars got caught up in it. Cars with good, careful drivers. Innocent people like Finn, on his way to witness his brother's boyfriend propose. Innocent people on their way home from the mall…"

At those words, Nick felt the blood in his veins freeze. With wide eyes, he turned away from the Principal to stare at Sebastian, who was now looking him directly in the eye. His eyes seemed full of pity and pain. "Nick, Finn was not the only person to die at the scene. There were several - and I am afraid that one of them was…"

Sebastian did not get the chance to finish his sentence before Nick jumped up and screamed "NO! No, you are lying to me! He is stuck in the traffic. He will be back soon and then you will see that you are wrong."

"Nick, his dad called the school. His car was right in the middle of it. He would not have had time to react like Finn, Nick," said Sebastian as he stood up and went to stand right in front of his friend. "It's no consolation, but they don't think he would have suffered. He's gone Nick. Jeff is gone…"

At that, Nick screamed at the top of his voice. He knew from the look on Sebastian's face; he knew from the words of Mlle Lefevre; the way that the Principal could not look him in the eye; the way that Trent had now started to cry, despite all his best intentions. He knew; he had known before they had even been told about Finn. There was no way on earth that Jeff would have missed the proposal. No way he wouldn't have called. His Jeffie, his one true love, was gone. He knew. Now all of the pain and anguish in his heart came flooding out in a scream of rage. Sebastian moved towards him and suddenly Nick was overwhelmed by a need to hit out, to punish someone and blame them. And so he balled his hands up into fists and started to pummel Sebastian's chest. And he stood there, his own eyes streaming tears, and let Nick hit him. He was more than happy to be his punching bag. As he struck out, the two others in the room could only watch, helpless. There was nothing they could do. So they stood, as the world went on around them, ignoring the phone ringing in the deserted outer office. Dalton's world had been put on hold.

It took a long time, or so it seemed, for Nick's anger to dissipate, for the intensity of his punches to Sebastian to diminish; as they slowed, he began to cry, his sobs racking his body as the world around him started to fall apart. That was the point for Sebastian to take Nick by the arm and guide him to the waiting arms of Trent, who just enfolded him in a deep and fraternal hug. He sat there patiently as Nick wailed into his chest, fully aware that his friend's tears were staining his white shirt, along with other secretions. But it was ok, he didn't mind. His heart was breaking every bit as much as Nick's as he held him. He knew all too well the pain of losing the person that you loved. He had lost the boy he thought of as his own soulmate before he had even arrived at Dalton - a boy he had known from kindergarten onward who had passed away from leukaemia in his last years of middle school. Even now, the idea of being with anyone other than Lucas seemed so wrong, and that was why he had spent his Dalton years alone. He had been given opportunities, but he would never take them up. It seemed disloyal. A small part of him had died along with him, and right now, all of the grief that he had felt at the time was flooding back. He had been lucky at the time to have a sympathetic mother and father who had given him the comfort he needed. Nick he knew was not blessed with that; he resolved there and then that he would be there for Nick for as long as he needed him, no matter what.

Sebastian was wiping at his eyes now, willing the tears to stop, and finally winning the battle. He knew that he had a job to do. "Sir, I am going to go back to the Senior Commons now. I think that it is time that I spoke to the others. They will be wondering what is going on - after all, we have been away for some time. I don't know what to do about Blaine and Kurt, though. I think they should know, but at the same time, it might be too much for them to bear…"

"I think you might be right there, Sebastian. Much as I hate to say this, it might be better to wait a little while before we inform those two, if indeed they are still on the premises. But yes, we need to inform the other Warblers. If you give me a moment, I will ask Mlle Lefevre to come here and come with you myself. This is not something that you need to do alone." Sebastian nodded, and watched as the Principal dialled a number and spoke quietly into the phone. Telling Nick and watching him collapse had drained him, had broken his heart. Lord only knew what telling a room full of Jeff's friends would be like. Then there would be an even worse task to undertake. Someone was going to have to tell Wes.


	4. 3 39 pm

**3.39pm**

For Sebastian Smythe, the walk from the Principal's office to the Senior Commons seemed to take forever. His footsteps seemed to get slower as he approached the door, through which the sound of quiet voices could now be heard. Then he was there, his hand poised above the handle…and he couldn't do it. The door had become an insurmountable obstacle through which he did not wish to pass. If he stayed here, then he did not have to utter those words; did not have to see their faces as he broke their hearts. He could see them all now - Seth, Colin, Edward, Skylar - each of their faces as clear as if they were standing in front of him. He could see them falling apart, because like every one of the Warblers, they had loved Jeff. But if he stayed there, then he would be failing them. He had allowed them to fall victim to the whims of Hunter Clarington - he could not fail them again. He took a deep breath, and stepped into the room, the Principal right behind him…

It took less than 2 minutes in the end to turn the situation in the room right on its head. When he had walked in, the Warblers had still been comforting the New Directions. Now they were comforting the Warblers, as they had all collapsed into tears as Sebastian told them. The New Directions were faring little better themselves, to be honest, particularly the older ones that knew who Jeff was, and had been friendly towards him. For now they concentrated on the group of blazer clad boys that were now in just as big pieces as they were after the loss of one of their own. There was an unspoken agreement that they should refrain from telling Kurt and Blaine at the moment; the best suggestion came from Puck in the end, when he said quietly "Tell Burt, and he can chose the best moment. He will know when he can do it. Whenever it is, it is going to break what little there is left of their hearts. They both loved Jeff so much - he was just so full of life…" He stopped abruptly as young Skylar began to wail from his seat next to him, and he without a moments hesitation placed his arms around him. He knew how it felt to lose a friend after all…

Back in the Principal's office, Nick's tears had hardly subsided. He was still sobbing in Trent's arms, his head full of all the things that he would never have now. He could see Jeff's face, could hear his voice as clear as if he was standing there, right in front of him. He could see their graduation, their first apartment together, their wedding. He could see them with their children, growing old together. Now none of that was going to happen. He was alone, doomed to be so for the rest of his life. He would never take anyone else in Jeff's place. He couldn't. Now everything just seemed so pointless, so worthless. What was the point in anything anymore? He wished now that he had insisted on going with Jeff, even if he had been left to sit outside the mall, in the parking lot to wait for him. Then he would have been at his side in that moment; they would still be together, united in death as they had been in life. That would have been better than this. If he was with Jeff, then he would be happy… He could hear a little voice in his head saying that he couldn't do that; what would that do to his other friends, particularly to Trent, not to mention Kurt and Blaine. He knew that it would destroy them but they would recover in time. He wouldn't. Only the return of Jeff could make him happy, and there was no chance of that. He even knew where he could find the necessary tools to do what he needed to do. In the room that he shared with Jeff - he couldn't bring himself to use the past tense - there was still the bottle of sleeping pills that Jeff had been given after the withdrawal process from the steroids had left him with insomnia. He had barely used them in the end. There would certainly be enough to ensure that he went wherever Jeff had gone. He also knew where he could find a bottle of vodka to wash them down with. All he had to do was convince Mlle Lefevre to allow him upstairs to get something - headache pills - and he could start the process of returning to his beautiful Jeff….

Of course, there was a small stumbling block to his plan. Although he was sure that he could convince his teacher to allow him to go, he was pretty certain that Trent would want to follow him. It was one of the things that both he and Jeff loved about him; the way that he would do absolutely anything to make sure that his friends were ok. He would be positive that his place at a time like this was right by Nick's side. He also wasn't stupid. He would twig immediately that something was going on if Nick played his cards wrong; he would alert everyone to what he was contemplating and then it just would not be possible. So he either had to wait until Trent was occupied elsewhere or create a situation where he could escape. As he wondered what that would be, he realised that although his body was still shaking, his mind was still full of images of Jeff, and he felt as if he was dying, his tears had stopped. Presumably he had no more left to cry. He slowly pulled himself away from Trent's chest and took a good look at his friend. He was no longer crying either, but his face bore the ravages of the tears that had fallen. He presumed that his own face was equally stained. And he knew what he could do. It was cruel in its way, but he had to do it. The longer he waited, the louder the little voice of reason would get…

"I'm sorry, Trent. You must be so upset too… He was your best friend. This must be killing you inside too…"

"It's ok. He was your boyfriend, Nick. He was your everything, I know he was. Whatever pain I am feeling is so insignificant compared to yours. I want you to know that I am going to be here for you, as long as you need me. Jeff would have expected nothing less of me. It won't just be me either. We will get you through this, however long it takes… Tell me what you need, and I will do it."

'Just as I thought,' Nick sighed in his head. He stopped momentarily, realising that what he was about to do was so cruel and would break the other boy. 'But needs must sometimes,' he thought. "You know Trent, you really are the best friend anyone could ever wish for. I don't think anyone ever says that kind of thing enough. As for what you can do, well the first thing you can do for me is go and tidy yourself up. You look a mess, and I guess I do to. So, yeah, go and wash your face, and put back on that Trent smile that we all love. Then maybe someone could get me a cup of strong coffee. I think that would help too…"

"Ok, I will go and clean up," said Trent, trying to smile for his friend. He was struggling as it felt so inappropriate to do so in the circumstances. "And then we will see about getting you that coffee." Trent let Nick go and headed towards the little cloakroom again, planning not only to give his face a good wash, but also to take a few deep breaths and pull himself together again. He was so concentrated on that that he failed to hear the next words spoken.

"I will go and get you a coffee, Nicholas," said Mlle Lefevre. "Strong…"

"Black with two sugars, please," said Nick, quietly pleased that his plan had just paid off even better than he had hoped. Mlle Lefevre was actually going to leave him alone, no doubt thinking that he would just sit there with Trent in the next room. "I really appreciate this. You've all been so kind to me. I really don't deserve it."

"Nonsense, Nick. We all loved Jeff, and what has happened has left us all so upset. For you, it must be so much worse. Now, just sit there and I will get your coffee." With that, Mlle Lefevre got up, and headed into the outer office. It was only then that she noticed that the coffee machine in the secretary's office was empty. She swore slightly under her breath. She had not intended to leave Nick alone for too long, and now she would have to head to the staff room. 'He'll be ok,' she thought. 'Anyway, Trent is only next door.' She hurried off, not glancing behind her as she did so. If she had done so, she would have seen Nick hurrying out of the room in the opposite direction.

Nick knew that he did not have long if he wanted to set his plan in motion. Although Mlle Lefevre had left, he knew that Trent would not delay in the cloakroom, as his need to be there and support Nick would compel him to return quickly. So it was that he ran along the corridor, glad that his shoes were much quieter than those of his teacher, and came to the back staircase that lead up to the dormitory corridor that he and the other Warblers called home. He began to take them quickly, but as he neared the top he found his steps slowing as he realised exactly where he was heading. Room 36. The room that he and Jeff had called home for almost three years now. A room that would still contain so much of Jeff - his books, his clothes, even a faint smell of his deodorant. That made him feel uneasy as his steps brought him ever closer to that familiar door with the official card stating 'DUVAL/STERLING' on it, and the unofficial one that said 'Niff!' right below it. He paused now and stared at that small four letter word. It was redundant at the moment, but soon it would gain relevance again - no doubt people would refer to today as the day that Niff died. That thought gave him the resolve to continue with what he needed to do. He took a deep breath and pushed open the door. Yes, there indeed was the faint aroma of young man, with the distinctive Jeff smell overlying it. Nick wondered if the room had ever smelt of him as far as Jeff was concerned. He would never know now….

He closed the door and sat down on Jeff's hastily made bed. He closed his eyes and blinked back the tears that he could begin to feel welling up. He was determined not to cry anymore - it was useless and would not bring Jeff back. Nothing on earth could return his happy blond boyfriend to him. His eyes now came to rest on the photo of the two of them that had pride of place beside Jeff's bed. It had been taken at a party back in their sophomore year, just after they had admitted their attraction to each other for the first time. It was Christmas and they had all been so happy then - well apart from Kurt, who was still wondering why Blaine was so oblivious… 'And now they are engaged,' Nick thought with a sigh. There had been many photos taken since, but that was Jeff's favourite - he had always said that it showed them positively radiant with love. He quickly grabbed a piece of paper and wrote 'Place in Jeff's coffin' on it, before securing it under the frame. He was quite convinced that he would approve of that. Now, however, he had more pressing matters to deal with. He opened the drawer of the bedside table, and dug away at the back, and eventually found what he was looking for. The bottle still contained most of the prescribed pills - Jeff had refused to take them as he was supposed to as he did not want to swap steroid addiction for another kind. Nick wasn't exactly sure, but he thought there would be enough to ensure that his scheme succeeded. He pushed the bottle into his blazer pocket, and then turned to his own side of the room. It was as tidy as it could be, and he wasn't unhappy to leave it in the state it was. He pulled open the wooden box he kept on the bookshelf above the bed, and found what he was looking for - his favourite photo of Jeff. It captured his childlike nature and his smile so perfectly. He put it into his pocket too, and then left the room, for the final time. He had no intention of ever seeing the inside of Room 36 again.

He closed the door behind him, making sure that he left it unlocked this time. There was no point in making unnecessary expense for Dalton by locking a door they would need to break down later. He and Jeff had always kept their door locked, but not all of the Warblers went to such length. Hopefully, the room he was about to step into now was as unlocked as ever. He turned the handle, and the door swung open as he had expected. He entered and closed the door over again behind him. He was at once hit by the smell of dirty socks. Sebastian might be many things, but he certainly didn't believe in doing his laundry as often as he should, particularly given that he seemed to possess the most stinky feet of all the boys in that corridor. Nick pressed on though, knowing exactly where he was heading. He had been here more than once before, and he knew where Sebastian kept his secret stash; the alcohol that he had 'liberated' from his father's drinks cabinet. He lifted the rug, then the carpet below it, finding the loose floorboard easily enough. In the cavity underneath sat a half bottle of vodka amongst other things. He lifted it out, and then dug in his wallet, and carefully placed a $20 bill in the gap where the bottle had sat. He had always been told to settle his debts quickly, and he would not need the money where he was going. He replaced the board and the floor coverings, and sat quietly for a moment. He could just sit here and take the pills, washing them down with the vodka. It was certainly tempting, but in the end, he knew that he could not do that. Sebastian had always referred to his room as his sanctuary, the one place in the world he felt safe and secure. He could not violate it by dying in here. So, he got up, and placed the bottle under his blazer, just in case anyone spotted him as he walked along. Just before he opened the door, he whispered "Thanks, Seb. Take care of Trent for us…"

In the end, Nick knew exactly where he could go and be safe from prying eyes, hopefully for long enough. At the end of the dormitory corridor nearest the main stair was a tiny little box room, set up as a study space. To his knowledge, no-one had used it since Wes, and the only other person to have ever used it to his knowledge was Kurt. It's existence was almost forgotten therefore amongst the younger boys that now dominated the floor. Carefully, Nick slipped into the little room, and sat himself down on the chair. He took his photo of Jeff out of his pocket and placed it on the desk in front of him. Next to it he sat the bottle of pills. He stared at them for a moment and then undid the cap on the top. Now that the moment was here, he was having second thoughts. There was no guarantee that he would be seeing Jeff again if he did this, but then if he didn't, he still would never see that face again. He was faced with the prospect of living seventy or eighty more years alone, and the idea of that scared him. He did not want to live on without Jeff at his side, that much he did know. The very idea of slashing open his wrists made him feel sick to the pit of his stomach; drowning did not appeal, and the nearest railway line was too far away. He had to do this; he had to do it now. He opened the vodka bottle, and placed it to his lips. He would be more able to do the job at hand after a few good swigs, he reckoned. Without ceremony he tipped the bottle back, and allowed the clear burning liquid to pour down his throat. As he pulled the bottle away from his lips and his other hand reached out for the pill bottle, he looked again at the picture of his beautiful Jeff. 'I'm coming, my love. See you soon!' he thought, as he decided on another drink before the first pill.


	5. 3 51 pm

_So, it's Halloween. A day for ghosts and horror. It certainly seems to be heading that way at Dalton Academy..._

 **3.51pm**

Trent had taken longer than he intended in the cloakroom. One look in the mirror had shown him just how bad he actually looked. It was no surprise, given the events of the day, but he could not carry on with red eyes and snail tracks down his face. His hair also looked as if he had been dragged through a hedge backwards, to quote the old expression. So rather than the quick splash of water he had intended, he ended up spending the best part of five minutes sorting himself out. Even then, he still had bloodshot eyes, but he supposed that there was no way of avoiding that today. He took a final deep breath and stepped back out into the Principal's study to find it empty. Moments later, Mlle Lefevre stepped back into the room with a mug of coffee. The two of them looked at each other, then pointedly at the empty sofa.

"Where is he? I thought that you were keeping an eye on him whilst I washed my face and straightened myself up?"

"I thought I would go and get him the coffee he wanted - Mrs Hamilton usually has some ready for the Principal, but the machine was empty, so I had to go to the staff room. I didn't think you would be too long, so I assumed…" She stopped, noticing the worried expression on Trent's face. "Maybe he just needed some space, some time on his own. Losing someone you love is such a terrible thing, and this will have hit Nick so very hard."

"I know, but…what if he does something silly? I mean, Nick and Jeff were inseparable most of the time. They weren't just boyfriends, they were soulmates - and some people might scoff, but you know how they were together. I need to find him, make sure that he is ok." Before Mlle Lefevre could disagree, Trent ran out of the office, his mind working overtime. Where would Nick have gone? His first thought was the obvious one - his room. A room full of reminders of Jeff and the better days. Trent could not help but think that it might be the worst place he could go, but it was a start. He walked up the stairs quietly, and made his way along to Room 36, quite prepared to have to knock on the door; sit outside until he opened it. When he got there and tried the knob, the door opened and he found himself looking at an empty room. From the looks of it, Nick had not been here - and then he spotted the wooden box on the bed. He knew what that was; had been told more than once when he had sat with the two of them and chatted over homework. It was where Nick kept his most precious possessions. It was sitting open on the bed, and that was not something that Nick would ever do if he was in the right frame of mind. Trent stepped over to it, wishing that he knew exactly what should be in there so that he could work out what was gone. He shut it, and placed it back on the shelf, before turning round to look at Jeff's side of the room. He took a deep breath as he realised that his friend would never sleep in that bed again. He walked over and saw it. A tiny scrap of paper with four words written on it - _Place in Jeff_ _'_ _s coffin_. 'Yes, Jeff would want that,' Trent thought, and then he felt his blood freeze. Why was that note there? Surely Nick would sort that out himself. 'Unless he isn't intending to be here to do it' came the little voice in his head. It seemed that his worst fears had just been confirmed. He knew that he had to find Nick, and that he had very little time to do so.

His mind began to race through the possibilities. Where would he go if he was in the same situation as Nick? He could rule out some of the options straight away. He would not be in the school kitchens, as the staff would still be there, and there was no way that Nick could have walked in and grabbed a knife without one of them noticing him. So, what other methods would Nick potentially consider if he was going to do the worst thing possible? The most obvious was poison. It was the one thing that they actually had potential access to at Dalton. The Science wing had a store cupboard that was kept locked, full of various chemicals that could be fatal. Nick and Jeff had been a pair of hopeless romantics, and the whole Romeo and Juliet thing would possibly appeal to Nick… Trent had visions of Nick stealing poison from the school, and then heading to wherever Jeff's body was, and taking it as he sat by his body… That angle seemed more likely than anything violent. No, Nick was not the type to slash his wrists, or take a knife to his body. Poison would be his weapon of choice, or pills..

Then it hit him. In the deep recesses of his mind he recalled that Jeff had been given sleeping pills, but had refused to take them… He tore open the drawer in the bedside table and noticed the space at the back, just big enough for a bottle. Now all he had to do was find him. Hopefully, he would be somewhere at the school, or in the grounds. If his car was still parked outside then it would confirm that. Trent tore out of the room and headed for the main staircase. It was just as he was about to leave the corridor that he heard the faint sound of something being knocked over. He stopped and looked at the narrow door that they all tended to overlook as they ran to and from class. He took a breath, and placed his hand on the handle, noticing how much it trembled as he did so. He pondered momentarily whether he would be better running for Mlle Lefevre or the Principal, but then it dawned on him that it might well be too late if he did so. He had to do this, and now…

In the small study room, Nick's one more swig of vodka had turned into several. He had quickly come to see that although the sentiment was there, and the need to return to Jeff was great, actually putting it into practice was far from easy, at least whilst he remained sober. Now that he had consumed a good quantity of the remaining contents of the bottle, it all seemed so much easier. Or it would have been if he hadn't just knocked the pill bottle to the floor. He cursed under his breath, and then bent down to retrieve it. He was fortunate in that despite his having removed the bottle top, the pills had not fallen out, and all he had to do was pick it up. It transpired that whilst bending down was simple enough, it was another matter entirely getting back up again. At least he had the bottle back in his grasp. He placed his other hand on the floor, and began to push himself back up. It was then that he noticed a pair of well polished black shoes in his eye line. As he rose up further he saw that he was no longer alone in the room. Things had just taken a turn for the worse, and he cursed himself for not having acted more quickly. Trent did not look happy; in fact, his face looked like thunder.

"I don't really know what to say to you, Nick… I know things are bad; I know that your heart is broken; I get that. But do you honestly think that….that suicide is the answer to all that? Because I certainly don't think that it is…"

"Things are bad! Things are awful Trent. My Jeffie, my sweet, lovely Jeffie, is dead! He's gone, and I can't and won't live in a world without him. I need to be with him. I wish I had been in that car with him, so I could be with him now. That's all that I am doing. I am going to see my boyfriend, my soulmate. All I wanted was to be left to do this in peace. So, if you are my friend, you will turn around, and leave me alone. Pretend you never saw any of this, and just go. Let me die, it's all I want now. Please, just go, Trent…"

"Oh, Nick, I am your friend, and that is why I can't go and leave you to do this. If I walk out that door now - and it would be the easy thing to do - then I would feel that I was responsible for your death. That I, as a friend, had walked away from you when you needed my support the most… What happens to me afterward? How do I go on with my life knowing that I could have stopped you…"

"Nobody made you come in here…"

"True. But I am here now, and it would be wrong of me, as a friend, as a Warbler, to let you do this. I won't allow it. I mean, it's pointless anyway. All that will happen is that your life will come to an untimely end. It will destroy me. It will devastate Wes. It will affect every one of the Warblers. Losing Jeff, that is going to tear us all apart; if we lose you too, it will be the end of absolutely everything. And it isn't as if you will be going back to Jeff anyway…"

"Oh, great," said Nick, grabbing the vodka bottle again. "Here comes the whole theology lesson." He made to take another swig, but Trent grabbed the bottle and pulled it from his hands before he could.

"And that won't be helping you think straight either. So, yes, no return to Jeff. From an atheist point of view, there is no afterlife with Jeff waiting in any case, so all that your death would achieve is another funeral for poor Kurt and Blaine to attend. Three in such a short space of time. Can you imagine what that will do to them? It isn't much better if we go to the other extreme. You will be killing yourself, which is a mortal sin. You will go to hell for that. Meanwhile, Jeff will be in heaven. So, you end up dead and alone, and he ends up dead, and condemned to an afterlife without you. I call that a win/win situation…"

Nick said nothing. He knew that what Trent had just said was right, but all it did was annoy him. He just had to go, he couldn't go on. He had to take the chance now, before Trent started calling for back up. He would just have to swallow all the pills in one go. He pulled out the bottle, and tipped his head back, ready to pour the contents down his throat. It was then he felt the pain in his wrist as it was grabbed and twisted. He looked across at his friend and saw the tears in his eyes. It did not stop him from aiming a punch with his free hand. It made contact, but Trent's grip did not lessen; if anything, it intensified. Then, the bottle was ripped from his hand. He felt an explosion of rage as he realised that his route to Jeff had been blocked. He lunged for Trent, but he was quicker. He was heading out of the door, as an unsteady Nick jumped up to follow him. As he did so, he knocked the vodka bottle off the table, and it fell to the floor with a resounding smash. Dodging broken glass, Nick made his way after Trent. Friend or not, he was not going to deny him the opportunity to follow after Jeff.

On leaving the room, Trent took a swift turn and headed towards the main staircase, the place where not so long ago they had all been happily cheering as Kurt had said yes to Blaine. Now it was deserted, although there were still some traces of what had gone on; a few stray rose petals still lay on the polished floor. At the top of the stairs he was faced with a choice - down to the Principal's office or the Senior Commons, or across to the corridor that eventually lead back down towards the kitchens and the dining room. He started to make his way across, reckoning that it would be easier to lose Nick that way. He was sure to follow him, and in his grief stricken, drunken state his only aim would be to get back the pills, to carry on with what he intended. Even the idea still sent shivers down Trent's spine. Sure enough, before he had even made it half way across the upper landing, Nick was there in the doorway. "Bring them back to me Nixon! You have no right to take them, no right to stop me. You have no power over me, no authority. So give me them back Trent. Please…please I need them. I have to get to him, I have to…"

"I can't and you know why. And in the morning, once you have slept on it and the drink has worn off, you will thank me for this. I am only doing what Jeff would have wanted me to do…"

"How dare you! He would want me with him. I know he would…"

"He would want you to live, Nick. He would never want you dead. I know it will be hard, but you have to live for his sake…"

"Hard? No, impossible. I'm not even going to carry on with this, it's making my head hurt. You going to give me them back?"

"Never willingly, no. So unless you are going to come over here and beat me up, they stay with me."

Nick looked at Trent darkly. "I could, but do you know what, even though I could take you in a fight, I'm not going to bother. There are other means, other ways. After all, doesn't Seth make models? And he leaves his door just like Sebastian…"

Trent stood still, and pondered what Nick had just said. It was true that Seth was forever building architectural models; buildings crafted perfectly in card. Card he scored with razor sharp craft knifes. He looked up in horror as Nick turned away and headed back for the dormitory corridor. He needed help, he couldn't do this alone anymore. It would be more trouble for Nick, but it was past that now. He could feel tears beginning to form in his eyes again as Nick suddenly spun round, right at the top of the stairs, and spoke again…

"Going to be a lot messier this way, but hey, that will be down to you. Your fault that there is blood all over the walls. Hope you can live with that, Trent."

His name was delivered with a hiss which broke Trent's heart. Then Nick spun round again…but this time his foot landed on something; something which caused it to slip sideways and throw Nick off balance. Before he could speak, before Trent could react, Nick was falling headlong down the main stair, tumbling over as he plummeted to the marble floor below. There was a sickening crunch as he fell, the sound of bones snapping. And then, after a loud thump as he hit the floor below, there was silence again. That was, however, only momentary. The air was quickly rent asunder by the most agonising scream of pain and anguish. As Nick lay silent and unmoving on the floor below, Trent screamed his name, his lungs nearly bursting as he stood, frozen to the spot.

In the Senior Commons, the Warblers now sat alone. The New Directions had left only a few minutes earlier. They had waited until Blaine had appeared, to tell them that he would be heading back to Lima with Burt and Kurt, and that they should all make their way home; that he would be in touch with them as soon as possible. He had been there long enough only to allow Sebastian to hold his hand for a moment as he promised that whatever they needed, he would try and assist. Sam had pulled him into a hug, and Tina had followed. He had bumped fists with Artie, and then they had all heard Burt calling, so he had left. They had all followed a few minutes later, none of them wishing to intrude on Kurt's grief by standing at the door as he left. They had seen themselves out, with a promise to keep in touch as both groups dealt with their own loss. Once they had gone, the Warblers had sat in silence, all holding on to one and other, as they let the events of the day process. That was, until they heard the screaming.

Sebastian was out of the door before anyone else could even react. He knew that voice and the fact that the screams had been proceeded by one other name. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw as he ran into the hallway. The crumpled body of Nick, lying in an unmoving heap at the foot of the stairs. He knew what he should do, but it was all too much. "Oh God, oh please, please no. Not you too Nick. Not today. I…I…oh please, please no…" was all he could say as he collapsed onto his knees in the doorway, and began to sob and wail. This was all far too much, and his head just couldn't deal with it anymore.

He didn't hear the other boys arrive; didn't hear their gasps, their screams, their tears. He didn't see Colin faint into Edward's arms; didn't see Seth turn to the corner and vomit; didn't see Skylar standing alone amongst the throng, mentally processing what he was seeing. Nor did he hear Principal Carmichael arrive and burst into tears at the other side of the stair. By his side was Mlle Lefevre, who swiftly took charge of the situation, sinking to her knees at Nick's side, and taking hold of his wrist. Her face, which had turned an ashen grey as she ran in coloured slightly at what she felt. It was weak, but it was a pulse. "He has a pulse," she shouted. "Someone call an ambulance!" Amongst all those there, only Skylar was in control enough to pull out his phone and dial 911. As he spoke to the operator in a halting voice, he struggled to keep his feelings in check. It was only once he had been told that the ambulance was on its way that he allowed himself to start crying. He knew that they would all have nightmares about this day for many years to come.

High above them, Trent had stepped back and had sunk down the wall. His head was pounding, his body and nerves shot. The last thing he remembered doing was taking the pill bottle and shoving it deep into his pocket. He felt so guilty; his actions had lead to this, albeit indirectly. His mind was overloaded, and so he gave in and passed out against the wall, allowing the blackness and silence to envelop him…


	6. 7 42 pm

**7.42pm**

His eyes opened slowly, his mind still full of cotton wool. The light in the room was so bright, and his head was pounding… He looked around him, his neck feeling stiff. One look confirmed that he was in a hospital. The walls were brilliant white, the furniture spotlessly clean, and what he could see of the floor was a red linoleum. The fact that there was also an array of what could only be described as medical equipment above and around the bed he was lying in was the biggest clue of course…

It was then that he noticed it. His left arm was in a sling, the lower half encased in plaster. That prompted him to do a quick inspection of his body. He lifted the thin white sheet that lay over him and saw that he was clad in a gown, one of those that opened up at the back. He couldn't see much as a result, but he was quite sure that below the fabric his chest must be badly bruised at least. If he moved a little too quickly, there was a brief shooting pain. Looking down, he saw that his right foot was wrapped in a plaster to match his left arm. He had done some job on himself, that was certain….

He spotted a mirror above the wash basin on the opposite side of the room. He wasn't sure that he wanted to look at his face, but he guessed that he would have to at some point, and it was far better to get it over with rather than put it off. The question was how to get over there. He closed his eyes again and lay back, trying to build up the strength to move. He would need to find something to support him off his right foot. He tried to recall if he had seen a crutch, and now that he thought about it, he was pretty certain that he had, almost right next to the bed. It was then that he heard the voices of two women approaching the room. He wasn't ready to deal with anyone yet, so he just kept his eyes shut and hoped that they would think that he was still out cold. He heard someone lift the clipboard off the end of the bed; the quiet sound of a pen on paper. Then the footsteps faded again.

"What I don't understand is what has been going on at that place. I mean, it isn't right for two boys from Dalton Academy to be here on the same day…"

"Well, no doubt someone will be asking the relevant questions. At least they are in adjacent rooms…"

He heard the voices fade again as the two nurses walked away. That had sparked his curiosity. Another Dalton boy in the next room. Who was it? That was all the prompting he needed. He opened his eyes again, and slowly, carefully, he used his right arm to lift himself up off the bed, until he was able to sit up. He ignored the stabs of pain from his chest as he did so. Then with as much power as he could get, he used his left leg to turn himself round and then dragged himself, using his sheer willpower, to reach the edge of the bed. He stopped, and sat there for a moment, catching his breath. He had to admit that the pain he felt had ratcheted up a notch in moving, but he had to find out. Who was it next door? He hoped that it wasn't Trent or… He stopped thinking as he felt a stab of pain in his arm, and he breathed his way through it. If he was going to go and see, then he had to do it now, before whatever pain medication they had given him wore off.

The only time he had ever even handled a crutch before was one rainy afternoon at Dalton, when they had found an old pair in a cupboard in the Senior Commons, and with the council still absent, they had mucked about for a bit. He had been doing his best Long John Silver impression when Wes had arrived… Now, he was using one for real, not just for fun. It wasn't that difficult if he was honest, and he managed to move over to the mirror, to satisfy his curiosity. The face that looked back at him had two black eyes; a nose taped across, presumably broken; a lot of broken skin on his chin; and a bandage wrapped around the top… It was then he realised that there was something missing. They had cut his hair. They would have had to, he supposed, but it made him more upset than anything else that he saw in his reflection. But no, he would not cry. He had somewhere he needed to be…

The walk to the next room was slow, and not exactly painless. He expected to hear a voice at any moment telling him to return to his bed _at once,_ but it didn't come. The door to the next room was open, and he walked straight over to the bed. The room was almost identical to the one he had been in, but he couldn't help but notice the monitor by the bed. It was no longer connected, but its presence suggested that it had been at one point. The other boy also had his head heavily bandaged, suggesting he had hit it hard against something. Like him, the bandages suggested that they would have had their hair cut. That was all he noticed before he saw the face of the other Dalton boy. He gasped, as he recognised it. It was his worst nightmare; he had no idea how they had ended up here, but all he wanted to do was sit and hold them. Their eyes were shut, but that did not stop him from uttering one word as loudly as he dared….

"Nicky!?"

* * *

The last thing that Nick Duval could remember seeing before he found himself lying in a hospital bed was the look of absolute horror on the face of Trent as he had fallen down the stairs at Dalton; the last thing he heard was his scream before he had lapsed into unconsciousness on the cold marble floor, in the spot where not so long before Blaine had stood to serenade Kurt. At that moment, Nick had still had hope for the future - he had a loving boyfriend, he had a circle of close friends, he had so much to live for. Now as he stirred, he had a brief flash of hope before he remembered. He was so sure that he had just heard Jeff, but that was impossible. He was pretty certain that he wasn't dead, given the fact that his body seemed so full of pain; unless of course this was the afterlife Trent had warned him off - the painful hell in which he could hear the boy he loved with all of his heart, but never see him again. His eyes seemed stuck together with something as he tried to open them, and the fact that he was about to cry for his loss again just made things worse. The worst thing of all about this whole thing was the fact that it appeared he was still alive. 'Why couldn't the fall have killed me? Why didn't I land on my head and die from that?' he thought. It was then he realised that someone was rubbing a tissue over his eyes, trying to dry his tears…

"Don't cry Nicky. I'm here… I don't know how this happened to you, but I'm here my love. You know I always cry when you do…" Then there was a sniff…

Nick was shocked by that to say the least. He used all his power, and his eyes opened. There above him was a face that he knew so well - only he didn't. It was bruised and battered. The shock of blond hair was gone, a swathe of bandages in its place. But the eyes were unmistakeable, even if they were surrounded by black bruising. "Jeff? Is that really you? Or am I dreaming? I must be dreaming…"

"No, I'm here. What happened to you? I thought that I had it rough, but you… What did you do to your leg?"

Nick looked down his body, and saw that his right leg was hoisted up, and was covered in a plaster cast below the knee. That gave him a start; and then he realised that his right arm was also in plaster. 'Guess that is what happens when you fall down a staircase.' he thought. 'But how did Jeff end up like that? _And how can he even be here, Nick? He's dead._ Then how did he just wipe my eyes for me….?" Funnily, the idea that he might be dead too did not upset Nick. He could cope with that if it meant he was reunited with his one true love. He just hadn't expected to find a hospital in heaven….so did that mean that they were both in hell?

"Jeffie, are we in heaven or hell? Do you know?"

Jeff looked concerned, then laughed. "They must have given you some really good painkillers! It may feel like hell, and I doubt anyone would describe it as heaven… The clipboard on the end of your bed says Westerville Medical, Nicky. We're in hospital, and by a stroke of fate, I ended up in the room next door."

Nick just looked at the smiling face in front of him, and felt even more confused. This wasn't possible. It had to be a hallucination. If he closed his eyes, maybe it would vanish… He tried, but when he opened them again, Jeff was still there, extending his right hand towards his left, and carefully taking it. His skin felt so warm against his own, as soft as ever. His smile was still as broad, but he was sure he could see a tear in the corner of his eye. He had no choice; he had to come out and say it.

"You died, Jeff. They told me that you were dead, in a crash on the freeway. So I don't understand how you can be here now. I wish you were, but you can't be. You're dead Jeff, and I wish that I was too…" He heard a sob the moment he said those last words. He looked up and saw that Jeff was crying now, his face contorted in pain. His own tears began to flow, and he started to sob as Jeff sat on the bed next to him, still holding his hand.

How long they had sat there crying their eyes out for they did not know; but then they heard a voice say "And what exactly is going on here? I take it you two know each other?" Nick looked away from Jeff and saw a nurse standing there; an older woman with a motherly expression. He felt that he could speak to her, that she would not tell him he was mad; after all, she could see Jeff too…

"You can see him? He was my boyfriend, but he can't be here. He's dead. His car was involved in the big accident on the freeway, and he didn't make it…." He heard a gulping sob from his other side, and he turned back to see Jeff falling apart at his side.

"Well, whoever told you that was wrong, Mr Duval. This young man was brought in by ambulance after the crash. He was found, unconscious, in a janitor's closet in a restroom in the car park at the mall. He had no ID, apart from his Dalton blazer. We tried to call the school several times, but no-one was answering. So, maybe you could tell me his name, and we can inform his parents…"

Nick felt dizzy; could it be true, or was the nurse part of a strange dream? He wanted it to be true with all his heart. He remembered suddenly that the phone in the secretary's office had kept ringing out as he had been punching Sebastian after he had told him. It gave him a sudden burst of hope. "His name is Jeff. Jeff Sterling. The sheriff called his parents and told them that his car was burnt out in the crash; that he was…"

"Well, as he had nothing in his pockets, all I can assume is that the person that beat your boyfriend up proceeded to rob him and steal his car; that was the person that died in the crash today. Sometimes the police really need to wait and check before they tell people things… Anyway, I should go and put Mr Sterling's details in the computer. I will be back soon, so behave…"

With that she was gone, leaving Nick to turn back round to Jeff, who was sitting there with a look of horror on his face. "You all thought I was dead? My parents, the Warblers… I'm so sorry, Nicky. I didn't mean to worry you all. It must have been so bad… I need to speak to my parents; I need to apologise to them, to you all…"

Nick tightened his grip on Jeff's hand. "Jeff, you're alive. You have nothing to be sorry for. YOU'RE ALIVE! This is the best news ever! There's just one thing. I am never, ever letting you out of my sight again. Do you hear? Never…" Nick smiled at Jeff, who was smiling right back. He knew that soon he would have to tell him how he ended up here; what he had nearly done. He shivered as he thought how Jeff would have reacted if Trent hadn't managed to stop him…. But there was time for that. For now, he was happy just to stare at the eyes that only a few hours before he had thought he would never see again.

The two of them sat there, just happy to be with each other, for the entire time that the nurse was away. When she did come back it was with a telephone. Once they had typed his name into the computer, all of Jeff's details had come up, and initially she had thought to call the Sterlings herself. Then she realised that having been told by that stupid man that their son was dead, they might just think that she was a prank caller. So, the call could only come from the young man himself. Nick sat and held his boyfriend's hand as he made the call; he heard the shriek down the phone from Mrs Sterling when Jeff said "Hello, mom! There's been a mistake…" and gripped his hand all the tighter. By the time the call ended, Jeff was in tears, as were both his father and mother at the other end of the line. Nick knew that they had just to have gone through the same rollercoaster of emotions that he had; to have thought that their only son was dead and then to discover he was alive had to be both wonderful and horrendous at the same time. He almost felt sorry for the man that had started all of this in the first place by stating that Jeff's car had been crashed - almost. He had been to hell and back; he was bruised and broken. That made it hard to feel any pity…

"Fine," said the nurse after the call had been made. "Now, I take it they will be on their way? Well before they get here, I should tell you that there are two Dalton boys sitting out in the waiting room, no doubt here for you, Mr Duval. What should I tell them? Or would you rather I just sent them in?"

Nick knew at once who the two boys would be, and that they both deserved to come in and see for themselves sooner rather than later. He asked the nurse to send them in; she smiled, and walked off to fetch them. "Right, I think we can both guess that it is Trent and Sebastian sitting out there. I think we can also both guess…"

"…that they are going to have quite a reaction to seeing me sitting on your bed. This is going to be interesting, though I am pretty certain how Trent will react…"

 _As if I could ever kill Jeff! But it was Halloween..._


	7. 8 23 pm

**8.23pm**

In the waiting room, Trent and Sebastian had been sitting in stunned silence for hours. They had followed the ambulance to the hospital, both of them still in bits that they could be about to lose a second friend in the space of a few hours. They had expected that Nick would struggle with losing Jeff, but neither of them had contemplated his breakdown coming quite so soon. That he even had a pulse was a miracle, given what had happened. Naturally, they had not been able to find out much at the hospital, as the important information could only be given to next of kin, and neither of Nick's parents could be contacted. In the end, Trent had, with help from Mlle Lefevre back at Dalton, found a number for his sister in Denver. She had been horrified, and promised to be on the first flight she could get; in the meantime, she had cleared it with the hospital that they should treat the two boys as his family, and update them as often as they could. That was all they were expecting when the nurse approached them. "You are here for Nick Duval?" she asked, and was answered by nods. "He is awake, and he would like to see you. I'm afraid that you are in for quite a shock when you get to his room. Just try to keep the noise down." Trent and Sebastian could only look at each other in horror as they followed her along the corridor. Although neither of them said it out loud, both had the same thought; paralysis. The nurse pointed to the door, and then left.

"You go in first, Trent. I should call Principal Carmichael and let him know he is conscious," said Sebastian. Trent nodded. He knew he was just stalling; that he would have done the same if he had thought of it first. He took a deep breath and stepped up to the door. He could see Nick lying there, his eyes open, his face calm. He gasped as he saw his leg, then stepped forward. "Hey, Nick. You gave us quite a fright…" His words halted in his throat when he saw the side of the bed that had been obscured by the door. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head; he couldn't believe what he was seeing. How on earth…and then, for the second time that day, Trent's mind decided to shut down, and he collapsed in a dead faint on the floor.

"Well, that went more or less as I expected," said Jeff. The look of innocence on his face made Nick chortle. Not for long though as Sebastian gave up his pretence of calling the school on hearing Trent's voice stop and a thud shortly thereafter. The boy dashed into the room, taking in Trent lying in a heap on the floor before glancing up at Nick and Jeff sitting on the bed. Nick and… Sebastian's shut his eyes, then opened them again. He did that a few times, but each time he opened them again, Jeff was still sitting at Nick's side. He made an attempt to speak, but all that came out was an unintelligible noise.

"I was attacked at the mall, Seb. They stole my car and left me unconscious in a closet, of all places… It wasn't me in the car. As Nick will testify, I am very much alive…"

Sebastian stepped forward slowly, coming up to the side of the bed Jeff was sitting on. He gingerly reached out a hand, and touched him on the shoulder. When his hand made contact with warm, solid flesh, he had an uncontrollable urge to burst out laughing; but he also felt that he could weep for joy. In the end, he did neither; he gently wrapped his arms around Jeff and pulled him into as close a hug as he could with a broken arm in the way. Only then did he cry, but this time, his tears were in sheer joy.

He barely heard Nick speaking to Trent as the latter came round, telling him the same facts that Jeff had just told him. However, when he felt his other friends presence right behind him, he let go of Jeff, and allowed Trent to take his place. He promptly started sobbing in relief; his tears set Jeff off. For his part, Sebastian walked round the bed and took Nick into his arms. He was just so happy that they were all together, all alive. The way the day had been going, he had only given a 50/50 chance of three of them being alive right now - and he knew in his heart that if Nick had succumbed, then Trent might quite easily have followed him. Had that happened, he doubted if he would have lasted long either. They were his best friends, and he couldn't live without them now. But for them, the day had taken a happy turn. It wouldn't, he thought with a sigh, for Kurt - and presumably, Jeff was unaware of what had happened to Finn…

At that moment it hit him. He let go of Nick and grabbed for his phone. He found it, then searched through his pockets until he found a crumpled bit of paper with a number hastily written on it. Then he was dialling, hoping that the person on the other end had not yet done what he had promised to do. He was still praying when he heard a voice on the other end. He spoke quickly and quietly into his phone. "Hello, Mr Hummel? It's Sebastian Smythe. Look, I need to know, have you told Kurt and Blaine about Jeff yet? You haven't… Thank God. It turns out the sheriff made a mistake. His car had been stolen, and he had been knocked out…. Yeah, very much alive - some broken bones, but still here…. Exactly…. So, maybe you could tell them what has happened when the time is right - oh, and you'd better tell them Nick is in the hospital too - he fell down the stairs at Dalton…. Yeah, those stairs…. Ok, I'll let you go. We're all thinking of you…. Goodbye."

"So, everyone thought I was dead, except Kurt and Blaine then?" said Jeff.

"Yeah, we decided that they didn't need to know, not today," said Trent. "They had other things on their minds." He shot a quick glance at Nick, who nodded at his friend's careful use of words. "Now, Jeff, I am a bit worried about you though," Trent continued. "I think you might have had quite a bump on the head, because you haven't even asked yet…"

Jeff looked at Trent for a moment, then turned with a confused look on his face toward Nick and Sebastian. "Do you know, Nick," the latter said, a slight smirk on his face, "I think Trent has a point. I take it he hasn't asked you either?"

"No, not a mention…" said Nick. Jeff just looked more puzzled, and Nick smiled. "Ok, Jeffie, if I say Kurt and Blaine, what do you think about?" Jeff looked at him, and then he squealed. Nick knew he had remembered at last. "He said yes, Jeff. Kurt said yes…"

The huge smile that lit up Jeff's face on hearing those words made Nick's heart leap with joy. Even with a broken nose and two black eyes, his whole face lit up in his excitement at hearing that his two friends had become engaged. In that moment, Nick could forget everything that had happened afterwards. He knew he would have to tell Jeff what had happened, but he could do it later, once his parents had arrived. For now, he knew that there was another group of people that needed to be told the good news - the other Warblers.

That news had to be broken as quickly as possible, and he knew it. They had all been devastated by the idea that Jeff was dead, and he was no idiot - he knew that they would have been left even more distraught by his 'accidental' fall on the stairs. The best way to break the news was something that eluded him. He knew that he should really also speak to Principal Carmichael - he had been every bit as horrified by the loss of Jeff as the three of them. The question was, who to tell first? In the end, it was Sebastian that came up with the solution. He extracted from his blazer pocket his tablet computer, and smiled as he opened the video messenger app, then looked pointedly at Nick. "That's brilliant Seb! We can call up one of the others and ask them to gather in the Senior Commons, and message one of their laptops. Start with the camera on me, and then slowly pan out to reveal…"

"Exactly. Remind me to turn down the volume from their end when we do that, because if we don't, then we will get kicked out of the hospital. Now, that takes care of the boys, but I think that the Principal needs to be informed on the phone, and I know just the man to do it…" As he said that, he turned to Trent, who shook his head with a rye smile on his face.

"Yeah, it had better be me. He wouldn't believe you if you told him Seb. I'll just pop out into the corridor and call him whilst you set up the video call." He got up off the bed, where he had still been sitting beside Jeff, but before he could move, the blond boy grabbed him, and pulled his head down towards his own, before whispering in his ear.

"Trent, my room is next door. Can you go in, and see if you can find my shirt? If it isn't there, can you ask the nurse where it is. I really need it." Trent look confused at what his friend was saying, but he agreed and stepped out of the room into a deserted corridor. He lingered there only a moment before popping into the room next door. A quick search of the bedside locker revealed a bag of clothes; he dug in it, and found his shirt, marked with blood - that made him shudder. He wondered why on earth Jeff was so desperate to have it, until he felt it. The small item in the breast pocket. Then it was all so obvious; and he ended up calling the Principal with a massive smile on his face. Back at Dalton, he could hear the exact moment when Aaron Carmichael's face lit up in delight; he almost laughed when he heard the older man shouting at his wife and Mlle Lefevre, telling them the good news. 'Little do you know,' he thought, 'that the good news is going to keep on coming…"

By the time he stepped back into Nick's room, handing the shirt as surreptitiously as possible to Jeff as he passed by (though he couldn't resist giving him a theatrical wink as he did so), the video call was ready to go. Nick had been propped further up in the bed, and Sebastian sat by him, ready to begin the call. Now that Trent was back, it was time to speak to the other boys. The call was made to Seth's laptop, and when it connected, it was to reveal a room where a dozen or so boys sat, all in a state of mourning. Eyes remained red, and they all looked so dishevelled. They sat silently, waiting for Sebastian to speak.

"Ok, now this is just not acceptable. I am sure that if Wes Montgomery could see you all now, he would be horrified. I know why you look the way you do, but really, you need to smarten up… Anyway, lecture over. I am sure that you are all keen to know how Nick is. Well, he did take quite a tumble down those stairs, and something like that isn't exactly going to leave you with just a few bruises. So, we are talking about a broken leg, a broken arm, three cracked ribs and some cuts to the head. He is bruised and battered, but he is conscious - so, why don't I hand you over to him…"

Sebastian turned the camera so that Nick was just in the frame, and then moved to one side. Nick took a deep breath, and began to speak. "Hey guys… So, first things first. I want to say that I am sorry for what I put you all through today. My accident wasn't such an accident. I might have been slightly drunk when I fell, and I might just have been very nasty to Trent, something for which I will never forgive myself. Anyway, if one of you could pop into the little study room at the end of the dormitory corridor tonight and clean up the broken bottle - and Sebastian, I kind of owe you half a bottle of vodka. Anyway, I'm alive. After today, that is something that I'm sure we are all grateful for… I know I am."

"Sometimes in life you can see something, and you assume that what you are seeing is a certain thing. But that isn't always the case. Facts are important, and you should always get them straight before you open your mouth and say things to other people. I can see you all looking at me thinking 'Wow, some bang on the head he had!' Truth is that when I came round today, here in the hospital, there was someone staring at me. He was in the room next door when I was brought in. Now, I was shocked when I looked up and saw him there. But we got talking… Then when the two goobers that are filming this came in, they were equally shocked. But trust me, the guy in the room next door makes a lot of sense; he proves that you should never believe what you think you see. He's here, and hopefully, he can convince you of the need to check your facts too…"

Sebastian, although still reeling at being described as a goober, slowly panned the camera round, and showed the man sitting next to Nick. There was silence from the Dalton end - at first. Trent went for the volume control, and just in time, before a chorus of screams, Ohmygods and Jeff! began to emit from the speaker of his tablet. Jeff was blushing, and Nick was trying hard not to just laugh with the sheer joy of watching the Senior Commons erupt in happiness. There were tears being shed in the room again, but this time they were from delight, not misery. When finally the noise died down, it was Jeff's turn to speak. "So, I got attacked at the mall. Knocked out and dumped in a janitorial closet. The guy that did it stole my wallet, my phone, my car keys - and thus my car. He ended up driving it into a pile up; and because I wasn't able to tell anyone, the assumption was made I was driving. Thus began the hell that has been today for you all. But hey, they got me out of the closet - although that happened a long time ago, let's be honest - and brought me here. My darling Nick was naturally right behind me. My only disappointment is that I missed the proposal, and I missed the chance to do what I wanted to do at it. But I am going to make amends for that now…"

As he said those words, Nick just looked confused. Trent meanwhile was grinning from ear to ear off camera, and Sebastian spotted it right away. "Ok, Nixon, what gives?" he whispered. "You know something, don't you…"

"Accidentally, I do know exactly what is about to happen," Trent whispered back, "but I kind of had an inkling from the off…."

Sebastian turned his eyes back to his two friends sat side by side on the bed. Nick looked lost, and Jeff just radiated happiness, as he usually did. It was only then that he noticed the white shirt, stained with blood, that Jeff had dropped on the floor behind him. That, and the fact that he had made his right hand into a fist, as if he was hiding something…

"Ok, so this isn't the setting I wanted. I imagined doing this in the Senior Commons, surrounded by all of our friends; but hey, we still have two of our oldest and best friends here, and the rest of our happy band of Warblers watching via the wonder of the web cam. No Kurt or Blaine, but hey, you can't have everything. So, it's like this. When you called me up to say that Blaine had asked the Warblers to help him propose to Kurt, I was jealous at once. He was going to do something that I have wanted to do for a long time now, and it stung. Then I realised that there was a very simple solution to my envy. It was for that reason that I had to go to the mall today, and also why you couldn't come Nicky. Because I had to buy something very special. I did want to do this the traditional way, but although I think I could get down, I doubt I'd get back up! So, anyway - Nick Duval, I love you with every bone in my body. If I didn't have you in my life, I would have nothing. I want the world to know that we belong together, and there is one way to show it that is known everywhere. So, my lovely Nicky, will you do me the honour of agreeing to become my husband; will you marry me?" With that he opened his hand to reveal a simple silver ring. He looked at Nick with expectation, and not a little bit of fear.

As Nick's mouth dropped open, there was absolute silence. At Dalton, a group of boys sat and waited. Beside a hospital bed, two young men were left on edge. As for Nick, his heart was beating a little faster. This was his dream come true. He had wanted to propose, but this was as good; no, this was better. There could be only one word on his lips. "Yes. Of course I will marry you, Jeffie. There's nothing else in the world I want more…"

He let Jeff carefully slip the ring onto his right hand, oblivious to the fact that at Dalton the Senior Commons had erupted in noise the moment he had said his first word; he didn't notice both Trent and Sebastian now smiling. At that moment, he only had eyes for the man he loved. The man he had thought lost, but by some miracle restored to him. He couldn't be any happier if he tried.


	8. 5 37 am

**5.37am**

Nick woke up early the following morning. As anyone who has ever stayed in a hospital would testify to him, there was no chance of a long lie unless you were drugged up to the eyeballs - and even then, only if the nurses let you. He wondered where he was for a second, and then it all came flooding back to him. The proposal; the accident; the news and his suicide attempt. Then the discovery that it had all been a mistake. He lifted up his right arm so he could see his hand, and smiled at the silver band on his ring finger. He was a fiancé now, but only thanks to Trent. If he hadn't found him and intervened, then he might well not be here; Jeff would be alone and in pain. 'Or dead too, at his own hand. After all, plenty of means around here if you look for them,' he thought with a shiver. He would have to tell him the truth, to save Trent having to carry around his secret…

He hoped his friend was sleeping now. Not long after Jeff had proposed, the Sterlings had arrived, and he and Sebastian had said their farewells and headed back to Dalton. They had not wished to intrude on the tearfest that the reunion of Jeff with his parents had obviously become. They had spent a good part of the day picturing funerals, and worse - his death in a car crash, praying he had been dead before the fire. To have him back was something like a miracle. There was no mention of the friendly sheriff that had informed them their son was dead, but Nick knew that Jeff would want no recriminations meeted out. He had made a mistake, and that was it. No need for blame or talk of compensation. Eventually, Mr Sterling had come to speak to him, to ask how he had ended up here, and so he told most of the truth. That he had been drunk and slipped. He received no criticism, only sympathy; and then the ring had been spotted. Nick had waited with bated breath for a reaction, and to his great joy, it was totally positive. He was welcomed to the family with open arms. By the time his future in-laws had left, he had been dog tired, and he fell asleep in seconds.

Now he wondered what the day held. He knew that his sister was on her way, which was good. She was fully aware of his sexuality and of his relationship with Jeff. He suddenly realised that she was still under the impression that he was dead. She was in for as big a surprise as the rest of them had been when she got here… He became aware of hurrying footsteps in the hall, and looked up as the door was opened. There, framed in the doorway was a red-eyed Kurt, Blaine appearing behind him only seconds later. "Hey guys," said Nick quietly. "What brings you here at this time?"

"Where is he, Nick? I need to see him with my own eyes, because I have heard two versions of events," said Kurt, stepping into the room. "And I am guessing that this is not the result of an accident either…"

"No, it isn't. I think you can guess what I was trying to do, but falling down the stairs was not a part of that, trust me. Too painful. And as for where Jeff is…" - he stopped, and looked up at the door again - "….he's right behind you…"

There was a squeak of delight from Kurt, a sigh of relief from Blaine, and then the former was hugging Jeff, who was struggling to stay upright in the face of the sudden onslaught. Blaine made his way over more slowly, and gently prised the now crying Kurt from his friend. "Let him sit down, Kurt. He's been in the wars too. You don't want to knock him over and hurt him." Kurt saw sense, and let Jeff make his way over to the bed, where his first action was to lean down and kiss Nick, before he settled himself on the bed next to him, whilst Kurt and Blaine drew up chairs at the bedside.

"So, although this morning was quite a shocker, I actually want to say that I am glad that you didn't tell us what you thought had happened. Yesterday was quite an emotional one, and I think it would have pushed Kurt over the edge if he had found out so soon after…"

Nick stopped Blaine. "Actually, we haven't told Jeff everything that happened yesterday yet. I guess this is the moment that we have to." He turned to his fiancé and took his hand gently, before looking up at his face, full of concern. "After Kurt said yes, we got some really awful news. You weren't the only person that missed the proposal. Someone even closer to Kurt was absent too, and they were on the freeway. It was Kurt's stepbrother, Finn. He didn't make it, Jeffie…"

Jeff's face crumpled, and tears started to flow. He let go of Nick's hand and reached out for Kurt's, taking it gently. "Oh, Kurtie, I am so sorry…" Kurt smiled and nodded, tears falling from his own eyes again. Blaine placed an arm around him, and there was silence in the room for a few minutes. Then Nick asked the question that had been on his mind since the two of them had appeared.

"So, who told you? I remember Sebastian calling Burt frantically to ask him not to tell you what had happened, so I know it wasn't him."

"It was Brittany," said Blaine. "When you guys found out, I think someone went to tell the other Warblers; they were in the Senior Commons with some of our guys, who were still in shock. So, they all knew what was supposed to have happened. Santana told Brittany last night when they had a chat on Skype. And you know what Brittany is like…"

"She sent me a message saying how sorry she was about Finn - and that she was sorry the blond dolphin had died too, and to tell his dolphin that she was sorry. It took me only seconds to recall that Jeff hadn't been at the proposal…"

"He woke me up screaming his head off. I dashed into the room, and he showed me the message. I was shocked, but I needed confirmation. So I decided to call Sebastian; he didn't answer, so I called Santana. After she had stopped threatening to kill me for calling her so early, she told me what had been said - and I lost it too. That got Burt charging in - thankfully, Carole had taken a sleeping pill, so she slept through it all…"

"My dad walked in to the two of us crying our hearts out and Santana shouting down the phone. He asked her what was going on, as he could get nothing out of us, and he told all three of us what had really happened. I looked at Blaine, and then my dad said 'I'll see you two when you get back.' He knew where we needed to be. We needed to see that it was true for ourselves. And I am so glad that it is. If it hadn't been…."

Nick looked at Kurt, and knew what he was saying. That his mind couldn't have coped with another death at that point; that he would have collapsed in a mess. If he knew how close he had come to a third death - well it didn't bear thinking about. Blaine would have been as bad, he knew that. He could see that his friend was struggling to stay on top of his emotions for Kurt's benefit. He smiled at Blaine, and he smiled back - and then his eyes widened. Nick realised that he had just looked down, at his right hand…

"Oh, my, God! Was that why he went to the mall? There's a part of me that wants to yell copycat very loudly, but I can't, because I am so happy for you both!" Blaine turned to look at a confused Kurt, and then simply said "Take a good look at Nick's right hand. See anything new, like on yours…"

Kurt looked, and for the first time since he had been told, his lips twitched up in a smile. Then he was leaning over the bed and hugging them both, saying how happy he was for them. Jeff was as effusive with Kurt, studying his ring closely. Blaine walked round the bed to sit by Nick, and whispered in his ear "I hate to think what those two are going to be like when they start actually planning the wedding… Fancy eloping with me instead?"

"Never. Not in a million years. And neither would you!" replied Nick, and from the smile on his friends face he knew that he was right on the money in his supposition.

In the end, it was the arrival of the nurse that ended the little meeting between the four friends. She was not exactly pleased that they had visitors at such an early hour, but Nick quietly explained the situation to her and her attitude softened at once. Kurt knew of course that it was best not to upset an on duty nurse, plus he was still thinking about Carole - he knew that he had to get back to her and see that she was alright. He doubted it, as he himself could only think that he would never be properly alright ever again. There was always going to be a little bit of his heart broken. So they left, with a quiet promise that they would keep in touch. The nurse then separated Nick and Jeff so that she could run her morning checks on them, promising them that they could be back together as soon as she was done. She knew better than to separate them. She could see the pure love and devotion that they had for each other radiating out of them and to be honest she was more than a little jealous, having lost her own husband a few years before. She turned away to allow them to part with a goodbye kiss, and then Jeff was wobbling back to his own room.

The tests were over as quickly as possible; but then the doctors arrived and they were far less sympathetic towards the needs of the young couple. Nick found himself undergoing a series of prods and pokes, and listening to the doctors discussing his injuries. He was also sure that he heard the words 'very, very lucky' more than once in the course of their conversation. He knew that he was - the fall could quite easily have broken far more bones than it did, and the fact that his skull had escaped any damage did seem even to him a miracle. Eventually, one of the doctors came up to him and after introducing herself, spoke about his injuries. "So, young man, that leg of yours is going to be in a cast for quite some time I'm afraid. We are talking at least eight weeks, and quite likely three months before we can think about removing it. It was quite a minor break as it happens. Someone was looking after you when you fell down those stairs, that's all I will say… So, you will have to use a wheelchair, at least at first, because of your arm. Once it is strong enough, then we can talk about crutches. The good thing is that at your age, the recovery should be swift, and we also didn't have to insert any pins. All that will depend on you though. You will have to be very careful what you do for a good few months after we take the cast off too - no sports would be my recommendation. Now the bad news is that you should still be able to take your exams; I suppose that does mean that you will be able to head to college, if that was what you had planned. If you had planned a round the world vacation, then it would be out of the question however."

Nick let her words sink in. Three months in a cast. Confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of his time at Dalton in all probability. 'I'm going to be the Artie of the Warblers,' he thought to himself. He looked back up, and realised that whilst he had been deep in thought, the doctor had moved on to the next patient. 'The good thing is that I am alive,' he thought. 'I could well have done so much more damage to myself in that fall. And if Trent had not intervened as he did…' He heard a noise and looked up to see Jeff shuffling in the door again. "I'm going to be in a wheelchair for a while, Jeffie," he sighed. "Which is ok, because…"

"I know Nicky. It could have been a lot worse. The thing is that I am going to be on these things for a while too. So, I guess that Trent is going to be doing a lot of pushing around."

Nick laughed, knowing full well that he would volunteer immediately when he found out. "I think that we should get Sebastian to help out too. He might even suggest it himself."

"He'll probably draw up a rota so that all of the Warblers take a turn. Do you think we could get a wheelchair with space for me in it too, so that they can push us both about all the time?"

"I think that would be a step too far, my love," replied Nick with a smile. "There is one thing though. Where are we going to sleep when we get back to Dalton? I mean, I don't think I can go back to our room whilst I am in a chair, can I? The door is too narrow, and the fire regulations and all will mean it is impractical. We're going to need to talk to the Principal and see what will happen. I think there is a room on the ground floor, but they might not let us share; I mean, now that we are engaged it might be deemed inappropriate."

"I can't see that, Nicky. After all, we have been boyfriends for a long time, and they never tried to split us up. Principal Carmichael is a man of the world, and he must know that we are not sleeping in our own beds every night like good little boys. Plus, if we tell him that proximity will be good for our recovery…" Jeff stopped as he heard someone clearing their throat behind him. It was a familiar noise, one which he had heard so many times before. He looked at Nick, who had face palmed, but was now barely hiding his laughter.

"Well, Mr Sterling, we shall have to see if proximity is a good thing. Maybe the world would be better off if there was some distance between the two of you for a while. After all, they do say that absence makes the heart grow fonder." Aaron Carmichael could only smile at the look of horror on the faces of the two boys at that line. He had absolutely no intention of separating them naturally. The room on the ground floor that Nick knew about had been set up for just this situation, and in any case, Jeff would also be of restricted mobility for a while. He had even asked Mlle Lefevre and an overjoyed Agnes Hamilton to start preparing the room for its first occupants in quite some time before he had left the school that morning. Still, it didn't hurt to make them wait for confirmation…

He looked at the expressions on their faces though, and knew that he could not do that after all. Both of them looked so horrified at the prospect, and they had all been through more than enough trauma in the last few hours. "The room on the ground floor is being prepared for both of you as we speak. I don't think anyone at Dalton would forgive me if I even attempted to separate Niff! There will be some questions from the governors about the morality of letting you share a room that is isolated from those of your peers, but I can handle them - after all, I managed to control them when they wanted you to be split up and share with others." He stopped and let the information slip in. "They found out from someone that the two of you were a couple, and there were questions asked about whether it was appropriate given that you would have opportunity for, as they put it, 'immoral activities.' I merely pointed out that if I split you up, you would still do those things, just elsewhere. It was quite a battle but in the end, my reasoning one out. They still felt it was wrong, but they were sure that in the end, you would separate eventually."

"Actually, sir, there is something that you should know," said Jeff. "I asked Nick to marry me last night, and he said yes. We are in this for the long run. Yesterday just proved that all the more."

"So that's why there was a sudden outbreak of cheering from the Senior Commons last night… I sent them all to bed with a flea in their ears for that, given the time. Well, this is a first for me. Two boys, at my school, engaged to each other… When I started teaching, I could never have imagined that this day would come. Times change and though it is often not for the better, this time it is. You boys have my blessing and my warmest congratulations. I would ask you only two things - firstly, keep this as quiet as you can, as otherwise I will have the governors descending on me, and they would be much, much harder to fight this time, particularly over the room sharing. And secondly, no rushing off and becoming the first married couple to be students at Dalton. I think that would be a step too far, even in current times, at least for Ohio. We still have much to do here. So I warn you right now - if I hear that you have headed to New York for the weekend at the last minute, I will be extremely displeased with you. Mainly because my wife loves a good wedding, and she would never forgive me if she missed out on yours…"

Nick and Jeff could only laugh at that. They had no intention of getting married yet. After college was what they had always suggested in the past, and that had not changed. They still had to contend with Nick's parents, who weren't even very pleased that Nick was gay - his father maintained he would grow out of it. Even Jeff's parents would be set against them marrying at their current age; and their peers would probably agree. So they were more than happy to accept what the Principal had said. He stayed only long enough to examine the ring, and to inform them that it was very fortunate that neither of them had broken the arm they wrote with, as it meant they would still be able to complete the homework that they would be being sent. That elicited two groans, but one look at them showed him that they were still smiling. As he walked out of their room a short time later, he felt his steps were light. There did seem to be light at the end of the tunnel, and unlike yesterday, those lights were not those of an oncoming train.


	9. 9 41 am

**9.41am**

After Principal Carmichael left, the two fiancés were left to their own devices again, but it was only to be briefly. Once again they heard the sound of feet hurrying down the corridor, and then she was through the door. A woman that looked a lot like the little brother she had travelled across the country to visit in his hour of need. Paying absolutely no attention to anything but the boy in the bed, she dashed right in, and said "Oh, my God! Nick! What the heck did you do to yourself? You look, and I have to say this, awful!"

Nick shook his head and smiled. "That's the one thing that I have always loved about you - your complete and often brutal honesty. Jeff, this is my sister Grace. Grace, this is Jeff, my fiancé…"

There was a moment then of absolute silence. Grace Duval had to admit that she was tired after her overnight flight, but even so, she could quite clearly recall being told that Jeff was dead. And yet, there was her brother, sat up in bed with a blond boy at his side. Obviously whoever had given her the call had been mistaken; no doubt there would be an explanation. That was for later; just now, she would accept what she saw as the truth. "So I finally get to meet the infamous Jeff, the boy that my darling brother mentions in every conversation that we have. Well, you seem to have been in the wars too! Did you fall down the stairs together, or did he land on you?" Grace said, extending a hand towards Jeff, who took it and shook it. Nick meanwhile waited for her to fully process his introduction. "If you are half as nice as he makes out, then we will get along just fine, although I think the circumstances…. Wait, did you just say your fiancé?"

Nick held up his right hand as well as he was able to with the sling, and said "Yes. He asked me to marry him last night and I said yes. I know that this is going to put the cat well and truly amongst the pigeons with mom and dad, but I don't care anymore Grace. I am what I am…"

"And what I am needs no excuses?" said Grace with a laugh. "Well, what can I say but welcome to the family brother-in-law. You hurt him, and I will end you though. I know people - only joking!" she said as she saw Jeff's startled look. "I'm a lawyer, so I would just sue you."

"So, any news on when our beloved parents will get here?" said Nick, taking Jeff's hand, and ignoring the little "Aw bless!" from his sister as he did so. "Let me guess; Dad is in an important meeting, and the near death of his only son is far less important than the golf game that will go with it; and mom is doubtless at either a spa or a health club somewhere. Am I right?"

"Bullseye as usual, Nick. Still, that's the good news. The better news is that Grandma and Grandpa are heading back from Florida as soon as they can; I called them to let them know, and you know what they are like; won't take no for an answer. At least this way you will have some family around when I have to head back to work. I will let you tell them your other news yourself. I will warn you now, Jeff, they will interrogate you first, but then when you pass muster, they will treat you as an extra grandson. There will be no escape; you too will be invited round for afternoon tea and a game of Canasta…"

Nick laughed out loud, whilst Jeff wondered what Canasta was. He would need to look it up. Still, there was one thing he could say without any prompting. "As long as there are cakes and cookies, I will be happy. I'm positive that Nick can teach me the rules of the game whilst we are confined to quarters at Dalton and recuperating from our injuries. Maybe you could join us too, before you have to leave? It would be a good chance for me to get to know my new sister-in-law better."

"Oh, I like you," said Grace with a smile. "Charming, polite and able to avoid the fact that he doesn't even know what Canasta is with it. We will definitely be spending some time together, Jeff. I need to tell you all of Nick's secrets, and I'm sure I can find all the baby photos when I get home too…"

"Don't you dare, Grace Duval!" said Nick. "We don't want to scar Jeff for life!"

"I would love to see you try and stop me right now, little brother. Anyway, I'm sure Jeff has seen you naked by now, so all those photos of you in the buff from childhood should do absolutely nothing to him, apart from making him laugh. I have no doubt that after I head back to Denver you will look out mine to show him in any case."

"As if," said Nick with a wicked grin on his face. Jeff was finding it increasingly hard not to start laughing at the sibling sparring; he wasn't used to it, being an only child, and the only reference point the had up until then had been Blaine and Cooper - and they were hardly a glowing example of sibling harmony. As first impressions went though, he liked Grace. She seemed to be genuinely concerned under the joking around, and he sensed that if it was up to her, she wouldn't be going back to Denver for a very long time. He was also going to get the chance to meet Nick's grandparents which he was actually looking forward to. After all, his grandmother's cookies had always gone down well when a box arrived periodically at Dalton; and their presents on Nick's birthday and Christmas were always 'different', ranging from the totally embarrassing to the bizarre. He was almost looking forward to the moment when she dragged him away from Nick and could talk one to one with him. He actually thought that it would be a lot of fun.

They talked away for a short time, in which Nick admitted how his accident had occurred; that of course lead to the explanation of what had happened to Jeff. Then Grace had started to yawn, and Nick instructed her to go home and get some sleep. It wasn't as if he was going anywhere soon. She nodded, and agreed. Before she left she hugged Nick close to her, then did the same with Jeff. Handshakes after all were for business - not for family.

Jeff accompanied Grace as she walked out the door, with a promise to be back that evening. He glanced at the clock on the wall at the far end of the hallway as she walked towards it, and groaned as he saw it was just after 10.30. It seemed such a long time since breakfast, and even with all the visitors, it was tiring doing nothing. He walked back into the room feeling a bit down, and Nick noticed this at once. Seeing Jeff looked sad made him feel sad too, and worse, he knew that the time had finally come when he had to open up and tell him the truth about the accident he had suffered. If he was down already, then maybe this was the best time to do it. He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly as Jeff sat back on the bed next to him. "Jeffie, you and I need to talk about something - well I need to talk and you just need to listen to me. What I have to tell you - well, you aren't going to like it one bit…"

Jeff turned his face fully to Nick, and said softly, "I know, Nicky. I guessed with the way that Trent was looking at you sometimes yesterday. He has that look, though I'm sure he doesn't realise it, that he gives when he is keeping something back. So, last night, in my bed, I started to think about it properly; it was in the back of my mind all the time whilst my parents were here, but it was only once I was alone… You fell down the stairs because you were drunk. But you don't drink, not really. You are always the one that has to help me back to the room after we have been breaking that Dalton rule. So for you to be that drunk, something had to be wrong, and more than just me being dead. Feels strange saying that… You were drunk because you needed what they call Dutch Courage. You were going to follow me, weren't you…?"

Nick stared at Jeff. He knew that they had a close bond, but he would never have expected that he would instinctively know what he had been about to say. All he could do was nod as he felt the first tears begin to prick his eyes. He lifted his left hand to swipe at them; it was then he heard him speak again.

"I understand, Nicky… I mean, if it had been the other way around, I would have done exactly the same. I couldn't bear to live without you. When I walked in here yesterday and saw you, all bruised and battered, unconscious - it broke my heart. If I was told you were dead, then I wouldn't want to go on. So I get it…"

"If I had succeeded Jeff…. If it hadn't been for Trent realising what I was going to do and coming and stopping me… I was going to take your old sleeping pills, and he found me and took them away from me. I punched him, Jeff. I punched Trent! How could I do that to him? Then I said some really nasty stuff to him, and told him I would use Seth's craft knife instead, I guess to slash at my wrists, my throat. Told him the mess would be his fault…"

"He's already forgiven you. You know Trent. He's just the nicest guy alive; would do anything for any of us. He will just be so grateful that you are still here. If it hadn't been for him… well, if someone had come and told me that everyone had thought I was dead, and that you had killed yourself, I would have gone looking for the strongest drugs I could find in here. Plenty of choice in a hospital. Plus from what I remember, this is a pretty tall building; has to be a way up to the roof…"

"Don't say anymore, Jeffie. I don't even want to think about it. We would have been like Romeo and…"

"Julian?"

"Yeah… I promise you, I will never do anything like that again. Won't need to, because I am never letting you out of my sight ever again. Wherever you go from now on, I go to. Then if you face death, then we both do, and we can go together, hand in hand. Deal?"

"Deal. If I am on a plane, and it starts to crash…"

"Then I'm in the next seat, kissing you as we plummet. If my car skids off an icy road and crashes over a cliff…"

"Then I am in the passenger seat. If I'm trapped by a fire in a skyscraper…"

"Then we make the choice together. Burn alive, or jump to our doom."

"Jump holding hands, of course…"

"I was thinking more in a tight hug."

"Yeah, that's better Nicky." Jeff looked at the man next to him, and realised that he was smiling now, as broadly as he was. "Look at us - smiling away thinking about death! If people overhear us…"

He paused as Nick let out a snort of laughter. "The Psych wards aren't that far away, probably. And they couldn't put us in straightjackets, because of our broken arms…"

Jeff started to giggle at that image. "Ok, so we are both agreed. If one of us is about to die, the other joins them?" Nick nodded, trying his best to look serious as he did so. "Ok, so if I accidentally stepped into a pool of man-eating green jelly, and you couldn't pull me out as it started to eat my feet…"

"I'd take my shoes and socks off, and join you in a paddle…"

"Man-eating green jelly!? Ok, I don't know what medication they have you on, but even by your usual standards, that is weird…"

Nick and Jeff looked at each other in surprise. They hadn't even heard anyone approach the room, and suddenly they had been joined by someone; they had just been overheard in what had to be one of the strangest conversations they had ever had. It didn't really matter though. After all, the person in question was quite used to them and the things they came out with; had spent time dealing with their antics, both alone and as a couple. The big surprise was that they were actually there. Smiles formed on both their faces, and they turned to the door, and after a brief pause to confirm that they had heard correctly, they both spoke in unison, in equal delight, one word - "Wes!"

The young man at the door could only grin at the enthusiasm with which his name had just been said. Without saying a word, he strode into the room and came to stand right by the side of the bed. "Well, from what I was told, this could have been a whole lot worse…"

"Yeah, it could have been… I just can't actually believe that you are here, Wes. I mean shouldn't you be in class at Harvard, preparing for exams?" said Jeff.

"Probably should be, yes. In fact, that was what I was doing yesterday afternoon when I got the call from Principal Carmichael; studying for a test that I have the middle of next week. I almost ignored the call…. When he told me, what he thought was the truth at that point - well I had been able to tell from his voice that something was wrong, but when he actually said those words… It broke my heart. All the examinations in the world suddenly counted for absolutely nothing, not when one of my flock had been taken from me. And for it to be you, Jeff….well it made it twice as bad. Before I could even ask how you were, Nick, he went on to tell me that you had fallen down those stairs, and that he didn't know how bad it was. That the paramedics had looked so grim as they took you away, and that he feared for your life too. That was when he just started to cry on the other end of the phone, and I realised that I was too. I was on my way to the airport about ten minutes after that. I switched my phone off before I left my dorm; I knew that I should be calling the others to let them know, but I just couldn't, not then. There just weren't words for me to tell David, Thad, Beats and Flint that you were dead, Jeff and that Nick was potentially following right behind. My flight was quiet, which was good. I had a chance for a good long cry on the plane; I think the stewardess was quite concerned for me, but she didn't force anything out of me, just let me grieve in my own way…"

"I switched my phone back on when I got into Columbus airport. It burst into life at once with a whole host of missed calls and texts. I saw that most of the missed calls were from Principal Carmichael, but then I noticed that one of the texts was from Trent. I knew full well that he would be devastated by the loss of his best friends, so I opened it. It read _Big mistake! Niff alive and well. Call the Principal._ So I did, and when he confirmed it was all an error, well I have never felt more ecstatic about something than I did then. I don't think that even winning Nationals with the Warblers could have felt quite so good. I was glad too, of course, that I had chickened out of making the calls I should have done. I had spared them from the pain that I had felt in my heart as I flew over. I have called them all since, though, and they all send their love. It wouldn't surprise me if they don't all turn up, sooner or later. Anyway, I stayed with the Carmichaels last night, and this morning I went to see the Warblers. From what I was told by Sebastian, they all fell apart yesterday; but today they are bouncing back. Don't be surprised if they turn up en masse after class today. So, be totally honest with me - how are you both feeling?"

"Well," said Nick, looking at Jeff, "I think I can speak for both of us when I say that we are in physical pain, and if it wasn't for the painkillers, then we'd probably both be in tears most of the time. Mentally though, I have never been better, and I'm almost certain that Jeff is on cloud nine too. You see, Wes, something happened last night that I didn't suspect; something that is actually the reason that all of this happened now that I think about it. Not that I blame my darling fiancé one bit…"

Wes suddenly noticed it then, the silver band on Nick's finger. "Well, can I just say on behalf of myself, and the other Warblers that have now moved on to college, how disappointed I am by this…" He looked up at the faces of Nick and Jeff, both of whom looked so confused, and indeed just a little angry at his response. "I mean, it was bad enough that Blaine asked Kurt without inviting us, but for you two to do it too… I am sure that we can forgive you though, once we have that big joint engagement party in the summer. And before you ask what party, the one that I plan on holding for you whilst my parents are abroad and I have the place to myself. My parties are legendary after all, so who better than me to host one for the four of you."

"So, you do approve of us getting engaged then?" said Jeff, his face now relaxed back into a smile.

"Approve? I am just surprised it took you this long to start swapping rings! I half expected promise rings, at least, last year. All I ask is that when you decide to finish the deal and get married, you give us all plenty of notice, because your bachelor party will have to planned; and that has to be the biggest and best Warbler bash ever. I mean, we will all be adults then, so we can go really wild… Alcohol, strippers…"

"Drunken fumbling with David in a closet…." said Nick cheekily.

Wes gave him a withering look. "Certainly not! David is my best friend, and he is straight! Now Thad on the other hand…" He stopped and winked at the two young men on the bed, who just stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. Wes joined in, so pleased to see the two of them happy. He knew that it could have been so much worse. In his pocket, a bottle of pills, given to him by Trent, weighed heavily. He would find a bin somewhere before he left the hospital to dispose of them in. He was glad he had been there to let Trent unburden himself, and had willingly taken the evidence away with him. He was conscious too that after lunch, he had to go and see Kurt and Blaine. There, things were ten times worse. Finn really was gone; there had been no mix up there. His heart broke for his countertenor, and he knew that Blaine was going to be a mess too. At least here, though, there was happiness. He savoured the moments as he imagined just how wild the bachelor party could end up. 'Yes, it will probably end up being a mess,' he thought. 'So, it has to be Vegas. After all, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.' It would be a long time yet though. until then, deal with the here and now - and get yourself a Niff hug. He moved over to the bed, arms open, and soon found himself wrapped in the pairs free arms.


	10. 11 58 am

**11.58am**

When lunch arrived for the two boys, Wes took it as his excuse to leave. Lord knows he would rather have stayed there, and joked around with them. He would even have been quite happy to listen to them talking nonsense - he was curious as to why the man-eating jelly was green, for example - but his duty took him somewhere else. Kurt was suffering from the kind of devastation that nobody deserved to know; he was also sure that his stepmother, Carole, would be in agony at the loss of her child. He had met her a few times, and she had always seemed to him to be the kind of mother that every child deserved - warm, loving, kind. So unlike his own… He would visit her too, if she was up to it. He would pay his respects and then it would be time to move on; to head back to Harvard and those exams. So after one final round of hugs, and a promise to phone later, he left the two to their food. Though to be honest, what they had just been brought didn't smell or look that appetising…

It wasn't but the two consumed it anyway. The nurses had tried to get Jeff to go back to his room and eat, but to no avail, and in the end they gave up trying. The senior nurse left to go and talk to the doctor about the behaviour of her two patients; on overhearing that, Nick began to worry. Maybe he should try to get Jeff back to his own bed, even for a short while, if it was causing so much concern for the nursing staff. After all, he had been through trauma too, and maybe all the sitting by his bed and walking around wasn't doing him any good. Before he could broach the subject with him though, events took a turn. Jeff was moved away from his bedside once the food was finished, and Nick found himself being moved over to the right, closer to the wall on that side. Moments later the door to the room was opened wide, and Jeff's bed was wheeled in, and placed on the left side of Nick's. The room was more than big enough to accommodate them both. Once everything had been settled, and the locker from Jeff's room also arrived, the senior nurse, the same one that had spoken to them yesterday, arrived. "So, seeing as Mr Sterling refuses to leave your side, Mr Duval, we thought it was more practical to bring his bed through here. Now if you wouldn't mind, Jeff, hopping back into bed? Being up and mobile is important for your recovery, but so is adequate rest. I think we have placed the beds close enough together that you can stretch your unbroken arms out and still hold hands." The last line was delivered with a smile, and Nick was later convinced that he had seen a wink.

Sure enough, when Jeff hopped back into the bed (and although he would never admit it, he was tired) he found that he could still take Nick's hand. He sighed contentedly, and allowed his eyes to close, just for a moment. He did not intend to fall asleep, but that was what he proceeded to do, much to Nick's delight. He had seen that Jeff was tired, but knew better than to say anything. He also had to admit that he felt much the same, and once he heard his fiancé's breathing take on a regular tone, he close his own eyes, and let sleep take over. It wouldn't hurt to have a short nap after all.

In the end, they had been asleep for less than an hour when they were woken up again by the sound of voices in the room. They had been hushed, that much was true, but given the numbers involved, the noise level had begun to build up again, and it leaked into the consciousness of both boys. Possibly that was just as well, as the green jelly was halfway up their thighs in the dream that they were both having; worse still, Wes had tried to rescue them and was now up to his knees in it, all the time muttering about why it was even green… Jeff's eyes opened first, and he blearily looked out into the room and saw a sea of blazers at the far side of the room. Although he couldn't make out much of what they were whispering to each other, he gathered that there had been more than one comment about how sweet they looked lying there, side by side. He tightened his grip on Nick's hand slightly, and the increase in pressure was enough to pull him back into wakefulness, as he muttered the words "Don't step in the jelly, Sebastian!" in a low tone.

"Why on earth would I step in the jelly?" came the voice of the boy in question, as beside him Trent began to giggle, wondering what on earth Nick was dreaming about.

That was enough to bring Nick around completely, and he stared at the Warblers as they fully occupied the other side of the room. "Sorry, was having a weird dream, all thanks to something that my other half said to me earlier. I was stuck in the jelly; so were Jeff and Wes, and you came along and were going to try and rescue us. Thing is that it was a man-eating jelly, so I was trying to stop you being eaten too…"

"Ok, they need to change your drugs, because that is seriously strange. If Jeff started it, then they need to change them for both of you," said Trent, with a worried looked on his face. "Anyway, now that we have your attention, I hope that you don't object to all of us skipping class this afternoon to come and pay a visit to the newly engaged couple. As I pointed out to Principal Carmichael, none of them can concentrate after the events of yesterday, and that wasn't going to change until they came and saw you. We promised the nurses that we wouldn't sing, or start making a racket, and they let us all come in at once. So, how on earth did the two of you manage to get them to let you share a room?"

"I just refused to leave Nicky's side, and so they eventually had to cave in," said Jeff with a grin. "They know now that nobody should ever try to separate Niff."

"No-one ever will again, Jeffie," said Nick, with a smile. "We've both made up our minds that from now on, we go everywhere together, as far as it is practical. I mean, realistically, there will be some times when we can't…"

"…but when we can, we will. Although, it occurred to me that if I had let you come to the mall with me yesterday, Nicky, it would have been a very bad thing." Jeff stopped as the others looked at him in confusion. "Well, if there had been two of us when I went into that restroom, the guy might not have attacked, and we would have got into my car, and…"

There was silence as they all knew what he was pointing out, without him needing to spell it out. If Jeff hadn't been attacked, if he had been with Nick, then they would have been on the freeway at the wrong time, and the chances were that they would not have lived to tell the tale. It dampened the atmosphere in the room for a moment, but only for that. Before anyone else could speak, Skylar looked up from his shoes again, and said, "Would you mind Nick if I took a good look at that ring of yours? I'm sure that I'm not the only one that wants a quick peek at it either."

Nick laughed, and beckoned the boy over, extending his right hand. Skylar moved fairly quickly, and smiled at the band of silver that now marked the older boy as Jeff's future husband. It was only a moment before he was surrounded by others desperate for a look at the symbol of future unity. Seth, however, walked over to the other side of the bed, and sat next to Jeff. "I'm so glad that you are still here. When they told me that you had gone, it made me realise just how important you all are to me as friends. I never quite believed the whole concept of the Warbler brotherhood until then. I only hope that once the four of you leave, we can hold the group together in the way that you all have."

Jeff looked at the young man sitting beside him, and smiled. "Trust me, Seth, you already have the power to keep the group together. The whole affair with the steroids was bad; it was the worst thing that has ever happened in Warbler history I think, apart from the whole airship thing back in the day…" he paused as Seth nodded in agreement "…but the thing about it is that afterwards, we all came together and supported each other through the withdrawal; the criticism; the pressure. I know that a lot of the other boys look up to you, and you were there for them when the worst was taking place. Between you and me, I can see you as Head Warbler when the council comes back in your Senior year; I think Skylar will be your deputy, and he will take over the role when you leave for college. You'll all be fine, and the rest of us - and by that I mean Wes, David, Thad, all the old Warblers - will be available to give advice and encouragement, not to mention popping in unannounced when you least expect it! Once a Warbler, always a Warbler really does mean something."

"I know, it's just such a responsibility, carrying on all the traditions, making sure that we get it right…"

"Hey, don't worry about that. We all get things wrong. I mean, look at Wes and his pandering to Blaine, which lead to the whole 'Gap Incident'; Sebastian and the whole affair around Michael Jackson songs i.e. Slushiegate. And then this year… well you know all about that. Just keep the Warblers more about fun than about winning, and you will be ok - trust me on that." Seth nodded. He could see the wisdom in what Jeff was saying. Maybe he could be in charge….

They spent the next two hours after that just talking quietly. There was a lot of conversation about engagements and marriage; about love and relationships, during which there were some pointed glances at the spot where Colin and Edward sat side by side, not that the two of them noticed; and about music in general. As Jeff had surmised, Sebastian began to talk about a rota for pushing Nick about once he returned to Dalton, even though Trent had volunteered his services on a permanent basis, citing the fact that he saw Nick as not only one of his best friends, but also as a brother that he had never had. Admittedly he then had to say that he saw Jeff in the same way to stop any complaints after the latter had put on his best sad puppy face. It had almost beaten Blaine's in the sadness stakes. Sebastian tried the same trick, but Trent didn't bite. Then it was time for the Warblers to head back to Dalton.

When they left, Nick checked the time and realised that it was almost 24 hours to the moment that he had been told that Jeff was dead. Fortunately, it had been a mistake, but events had gotten a little out of control in that time. He felt so lucky; he had cheated death, thanks to his friends. He had the most beautiful fiancé in the world at his side, even if the two of them were bruised and broken at the moment. The love of his sister had been confirmed, and no doubt she would be back soon, ready to be at his side come what may. He knew that his parents would eventually feel obligated to put in an appearance, and he had already resolved that he was going to tell them the truth. If they hated it, then they did - there wasn't much they could do to him in a hospital. He had also realised just how many friends they had. The fact that Kurt, in the depths of his own grief, would run to the hospital to see them… He was sad for him; he had barely known Finn, but he had come good and stepped in at Kurt's side when the chips were down. He couldn't be there for the funeral, that much he knew, but hopefully Jeff could be, for both of them. That was for another day. Just now, all he wanted to do was lie back, his Jeffie by his side and talk nonsense; wedding plans too, as Kurt had been planning his after all for years; and even try and work out what the whole man-eating jelly dream meant.

"You ok, Nicky?" said a voice at his side.

"Yeah, Jeffie. As long as I have you, I will always be ok."

"Me too, Nicky. Me too."

And with that, the two of them lay back, hands held, eyes fixed on each other, as they awaited whatever the next days, months and years would bring.


End file.
